Beyond the Sun
by Jeck and Raxsah Inc
Summary: Action, Drama, and Romance. Just a typical day on the Enterprise, and life for Ryan and Claire Conaway. M for language, adult humor, humor all around, violence, and strong sexual themes. Rants and Fluff included. KirkxOC.
1. Take It To The Limit

**Note, this is just us ranting. If you scroll down a bit you shall be able to read our story. But why wouldn't you want to read our rants? It's pretty awesome. Just for the record.**

_**Raxsah:** Hello, Welcome to our little world!  
**Jeck:** Controlled and run by none other than the Queen of All Things, I mean… yeah, no that's what I meant.  
**Raxsah:** Yeah, I don't know what to say to that. I mean, I AM the Queen, but… well… ANYWAY! If you didn't know by now, you are about to read a Star Trek story.  
**Jeck:** No really?  
**Raxsah:** Yeah, really. It's a magical tale, filled with many original characters, drama, romance, action, fluff, and inappropriate jokes that make many people uncomfortable in regular society.  
**Jeck:** And pudding, lots and lots of pudding filled fun.  
**Raxsah**: Dude, the pudding isn't even in this chapter, it doesn't come in till next chapter… I think…  
**Jeck:** Maybe? Perhaps… well, it's a major part in this story at least! Probably more important than both of our characters!  
**Raxsah:** … yeah, I can't deny that. But pudding is fucking amazing.  
**Jeck:** I know, you ate some like a half hour ago.  
**Raxsah:** Creeper. ANYWAY, we have decided we should probably warn you about this story.  
**Jeck:** We have potty mouths. :D  
**Raxsah:** And VERRY dirty minds.  
**Jeck:** And very bad spelling, apparently.  
**Raxsah:** Only sometimes…  
**Jeck:** It's sad that spellcheck just fixed what you typed… HOW IS SPELLCHECK NOT A WORD!?!?!?  
**Raxsah:** IDK???!!!! Oh, we're very random and get off topic A LOT!!!  
**Jeck:** And when we say off topic, we mean into Sarah's pants in which case we get into a lot. lol  
**Raxsah:** Only on Thursdays.  
**Jeck:** Wait a second…  
**Raxsah:** SO ANYWAY, We hope you enjoy this story, and… stuff.  
**Jeck:** Yeah, we don't really own Star Trek and there are a shit load of trekkies would shoot us with their phaser thingys to get the rights to it. Everything else, we'll go ninja on their asses to keep. Like the plot and the characters and shit that aren't part of Star Trek.  
**Raxsah:** Can we own Chris Pine? He's not part of Star Trek.  
**Jeck:** That's called slavery.  
**Raxsah:** Right… so… We don't own Chris Pine?  
**Jeck:** No, we don't. That cardboard cut out that you sleep with every night doesn't count.  
**Raxsah:** Damn. =( Oh well… We like Reviews, they make us happy.  
**Jeck:** And for the record, we're two separate people. Not someone with a major disorder.  
**Raxsah:** Not that there is anything wrong with major disorders… we just… don't… have one… right?  
**Jeck:** LET'S START THE STORY NOW!  
**Raxsah:** o.O_

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Chapter 1: Take It To The Limit

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This day was the day that every cadet waits for. At least, that's what they told her. She wasn't so sure that was the case for her. She stood next to her brother, his stony grey eyes staring at their Platoon Sergeant as he yelled out ship assignments. She pressed her lips together and faced forward once more, her hands desperately trying to pull her skirt down so it appear as short.

"Conaway, Ryan… _U.S.S. Berlin_," the Platoon Sergeant called. Claire glanced up at her older brother and smiled. She was glad that he had gotten the ship he wanted.

"Conaway, Claire… _U.S.S. Enterprise_." Claire didn't fail to notice the looks of some of the cadets sent her way. Almost everyone who was assigned to a ship practically begged to serve upon the _Enterprise _and she just happened to be lucky enough to actually get the chance. Although, she could not say that she truly cared.

"Alright, that is everyone. Tomorrow you will report to your assigned ships and will depart. Enjoy your last night as cadets. Godspeed." All the cadets broke away and Ryan looked down at his sister.

"Well, I'm glad you got assigned to the ship you wanted. I'm sure half of the cadets in our year would kill to serve on the _Enterprise_. You're one lucky duck." Ryan smiled as he ruffled his sister's light blonde hair.

"Stop that, you know I hate it when you do that!" She exclaimed as she batted his hand away. He merely laughed as he pulled away.

"Well, who knows how many more times I'll be able to do that? We probably won't be seeing each other for awhile after tomorrow. I bet you'll miss it," he remarked with a cocky attitude as he ran a hand through his spiked dirty blonde hair. As much as she hated to admit it, she would. She had been with him since she was born, and she couldn't remember a time where she wasn't with him.

"Hmm, well, I might miss it. I'd say I'd miss it in a few more weeks." Ryan chuckled as he draped an arm over his sister's shoulders in a brotherly fashion.

"Don't deny it, you'll miss me. Who else is going to get your butt in gear when you start to slack off? Especially on the _Enterprise,_" Ryan told her. She made a face even though she knew it was the truth.

"I'll live… for a bit. How about you? Do you like your assignment?" She asked as they exited out of the ship bunker.

"I couldn't be happier. I've been trying to get on the _U.S.S. Berlin_ since our second year at the academy. Some of the best up and coming engineers are on that ship," he explained as they continued to wander through the halls of Starfleet Academy. It had been his dream since one of his best friends in their second year of the academy was assigned to it. Griffin had told him nothing, but good things about the _Berlin_ and Ryan had made it his goal to join him.

"Yeah, I know. You wouldn't shut up about it for three whole years!" Claire gently elbowed her brother in the side and he removed his arm.

"At least I had a goal. You've just been cruising through your medical courses since you got here. Maybe serving on the _Enterprise_ will keep my little sister in line," Ryan said hopefully. The truth was that he worried about her. She didn't really seem to have much of a direction, other than doing something in the medical field. She also tended to get herself into some trouble with her friends.

"Yeah, maybe. Hey, I was talking with Trisha and she wanted to know if you are free. A bunch of people are going to the local bar to celebrate graduation, are you in?" she asked, changing the subject. Ryan gave a heavy sigh as he pulled away from his sister.

"You want to go out and drink the day before you have to show up for duty?" Claire raised an eyebrow then nodded.

"Uh, yeah," she said. She knew her brother tended to shy away from the party scene, being a bit more interested in his car than partying. However, she knew that he needed to get out and have a drink every now and then. She also knew that is she begged him enough, he would cave.

"I don't know, Claire…" She stood in front of him and gave him the best puppy dog eyes she could.

"Please Ryan. I heard some of the crew members from the ships might be out enjoying a few bars themselves. You might meet Griffin there, or better yet, a crew member from the _Berlin_," she said, trying to persuade him. Twenty-two years she had been making him cave with that look and he was still no where close to resisting. With a heavy sigh, he nodded.

"Fine, alright. But I'm not going because you used that face. I'm going to try to find Griffin or another engineer from the Berlin," he told her, trying to defend his masculinity. She rolled her eyes, knowing full well that the puppy dog look still worked.

"Whatever you say, Ry."

**

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**

Later That Night

"You know I hate you, right?" Ryan mumbled as they drove into the parking lot of the bar. Claire smiled from behind the wheel as she pulled into a parking spot.

"It wasn't that bad," she tried to reason, but he shook his head.

"I am never letting you drive my car again. All the time I spend on this baby and you only end up driving on the rode half of the time!" He exclaimed, jumping out from the passenger's side of the car. He quickly walked around his car, making sure that there were no dents or nicks in it. Claire crossed her arms and watched as her brother surveyed the car, every now and then stopping at a certain area.

"There is nothing wrong with your car, Ryan. Honestly, it wasn't that bad!" She told him.

"You were going to race a police officer if I hadn't stopped you!" He snapped, his eyes stopping at what looked to be a small scratch. He gave a sigh of relief when he realized it was only the reflection of a light.

"He was asking for it. Gosh, it's just a car!" Claire said, turning around and heading toward the bar. Ryan followed after her.

"It is not j_ust_ a car. I worked forever on that thing!" Claire shook her head.

"You are so exaggerating. Come on; let's just go have some fun." Ryan ran a hand through his hair, but entered the bar with her nonetheless. Claire immediately saw Trisha and the rest of her friends. She gave her brother one last look before running over to join them. Ryan sighed and gave the bar a once over.

"Well, it's better than spending the night alone, I guess," he muttered to himself as he approached the bar.

Claire walked up to her friends and smiled. Trisha smiled and pulled her friend into a hug.

"Everyone, the newest doctor on the _U.S.S. Enterprise_ has arrived!" The rest of the people at the table cheered.

"Congratulations, Claire. Who would've thought that the laziest doctor in Starfleet could've made her way onto one of the top ships of the fleet?" Samuel, her friend from the science department, said.

"How did you do it?" Another girl, Crystal, asked.

"Well, shit happens when you sleep with the Admirals," Trisha told them. They all laughed and Claire shook her head.

"Oh come on, Claire… we're just joking." Claire smirked.

"Whatever, you're all just jealous that I happen to be the lucky one and you all get shitty assignments." The group laughed and ordered a round of drinks.

"Here's to getting shitty assignments!" Trisha toasted.

"To shitty assignments!" The rest of the group cheered.

Ryan glanced over at his sister's group of friends, already foreseeing that he would be driving her home tonight. He could only pray that she would not throw up in his car. Again.

"Don't look so stressed out. You're in a bar, for Christ's sake!" Ryan looked up from his beer to see one of his oldest friends walking up to him. Griffin had let his chocolate brown hair grow out a bit and his bangs were pushed to one side to reveal his icy blue eyes.

"I'm not stressed out. Just a concerned older brother," Ryan explained, nodding to his sister and her friends. Griffin glanced over at their table before turning back to Ryan.

"Dude, you need to lighten up. The two of you were assigned to different ships. You can't always be there to protect her." Ryan nodded as Griffin sat down next to him.

"Wait a second, how did you know we were assigned to different ships?" Ryan asked. Griffin chuckled.

"I overheard today in the ship bunker. I was actually talking to the chief engineer of the _Enterprise_, Montgomery Scott," Griffin informed him as he took a drink. Ryan stopped mid-sip of his beer.

"The Montgomery Scott? You know him?" Ryan asked excitedly.

"Yeah, the _Enterprise_ once helped the _Berlin_ when we were attacked by Klingons. He's actually around her somewhere." Griffin didn't have to look too far before Montgomery Scott made his appearance.

"Griffin, old boy, how have you been?" He asked, offering Griffin a handshake.

"Mr. Scott," Griffin greeted with a smile as he took Montgomery's hand in his own.

"It's Scotty around here." Griffin nodded.

"Scotty, I'd like you to meet one of my best friends, Ryan Conaway. He's a new engineer on the _Berlin,_ one of the best in my opinion." Scotty looked over at Ryan and shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you. I believe Griffin has said a thing or two about you before!" Ryan seemed to beam at this information.

"Really? That sure was nice of him." Ryan replied as Griffin gave him nod from his seat.

"Of course. Ryan graduated at the top of his engineering class and he'll be joining me on the Berlin tomorrow morning." Scotty nodded as he put back a shot of vodka.

"Good to hear. There are never enough engineers in the universe. Things go wrong and it's your job to sort them out. None of these starships would be nearly as successful without a well bodied engineer to keep them running smoothly," Scotty informed the two younger engineers. Griffin put a hand on Ryan's shoulder.

"This Conaway is going to do great things in the engineering field." Griffin stated.

"This Conaway? There's more?" Scotty asked as he turned his attention to Ryan. Ryan scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Yeah, I have a sister. She's in the medical field. Actually, she's been assigned to the _Enterprise_." Scotty looked a bit surprised, but nodded.

"Really? Huh, wait. You know, I think I heard someone mention her. I'm not too sure. Well, I hope she's ready for what's ahead of her. Serving on the _Enterprise_ is quite exciting," Scotty muttered. Ryan nodded and took a glance at his sister, who was laughing with a bunch of her friends.

"I hope so too," he muttered. Griffin noticed the look on his friend's face and quickly changed the subject, letting his friend get distracted in conversation with one of his idols.

Claire began laughing hysterically at a joke her friend told them, though she was sure that most of the reason she that it was so funny was because of the small amount of alcohol in her system. When she was finished laughing, Claire took a glance at her brother, smiling when he saw he was talking to two men. It was good to know that he could still have a good time.

"Claire, I'm going to miss you!" cried Trisha while latching onto her arm. Claire laughed lightly at her friend, contributing her sudden touchy feely mood to the many margaritas she had just downed.

"I'm going to miss you too, Trish," Claire told her best friend as she tried to pry her arm free.

"No, don't leave me!" Some of the other people in the bar shot her strangle looks, but Trisha completely ignored them.

"I'm not going anywhere yet. I just like having feeling in my arm." Samuel grabbed Trisha's collar.

"Come on Trisha, let go." Reluctantly, Trisha let go of Claire's arm and decided instead to rest her head on her friend's shoulder.

"You know Claire-bear; some hottie at the bar keeps looking over at you," Trisha slurred at Claire. She looked up and noticed the man at the bar was indeed staring at her.

"He's probably still in his third year at the academy and wants to try his luck with older women," Crystal said nonchalantly as she sipped her drink. Samuel shook his head.

"Actually, I think that's Captain Kirk." Claire blushed at the thought of _the _Captain Kirk even looking her up. She knew he was probably looking at someone else, but liked to entertain the thought of it for a while.

"Hmm, well… he must be really drunk if he keeps looking at me," Claire said, taking a sip of her drink. Trisha shook her head.

"Claire, you're totally hot! If I were a lesbian, I would fuck you. Even if your boobs aren't as big as mine." Samuel rolled his eyes.

"Trisha, now you're just embarrassing yourself. How do you expect to wake up tomorrow?" He asked.

"With the help of a lot of alarm clocks going off and my roommate," Trisha replied. Claire was about to say something, when someone walked up to their group.

"Hello, ladies… and guys," Crystal turned around and her jaw dropped. Claire was also a little dumbstruck. In front of them stood the one and only, Captain Kirk. His bright blue eyes shinned though the dim lights of the bar. She felt her stomach tighten just at the sight of him.

"Captain Kirk," Samuel spoke, since none of the women seemed capable to. Kirk nodded to at him and walked up to Claire's seat. Her heart began to speed up a bit as he got closer, and she was sure that the funny feeling in her stomach was only getting worse.

"And who are you?" He asked in a seductive tone of voice. Claire stared for a minute, her vocal chords failing to respond to the question that needed to be answered. Her whole body felt like it was on fire.

"That's Claire. And she's single," Trisha interjected without a moment's hesitation. Kirk smiled.

"Really? I'm single too, imagine that!" Claire managed to get a laugh to slip through her lips, which she was slightly thankful for. The warm feeling that had spread throughout her body seemed to get worse and worse as Kirk leaned in closer and closer.

"Imagine that," she repeated, not sure how to reply. Kirk moved so he was standing between her seat and the seat next to her's.

"So, what is a cadet such as yourself doing here while being single and stunning." Claire turned a light red and shrugged, trying to regain control of the situation.

"Enjoying my last night on earth, I suppose," she answered. She looked past the Captain to her friends, who were all smirking and silently laughing at her.

"Last night? So does that mean you have been assigned a ship?" She nodded.

"Yes, Captain Kirk," she answered.

"Please… call me Jim," he instructed her. She heard her friends giggle, but decided to ignore them.

"Okay, Jim. Yeah, I was assigned to the _Enterprise_ today. So tonight's my last night on earth," Claire explained as Kirk signaled for more drinks to their table.

"Well, lucky me then. I'll be happy to have you as a part of my crew. So, what's your field?" His voice was almost a whisper, but it might just have sounded that way to Claire whose heartbeat echoed through her ears.

"I'm a d-doctor." For once in her life, Claire found herself stuttering. Trisha laughed at her best friend's behavior and let out a little snort, causing everyone at the table to look at her. At the distraction, Kirk's arm found its way to the small of Claire's back. When she didn't protest, Kirk just smiled. From across the bar, Griffin caught sight of Claire.

"So Ryan, why don't you tell Scotty here about how you wrote an essay on his theories for your final engineering paper?" Griffin suggested, trying to distract Ryan from noticing his sister and the man practically hanging off of her.

"Really? That sounds interesting. I'd love to hear about it some other time. Tonight is a night for relaxing. I'm actually here with Captain Kirk." Ryan nodded and glanced around the bar looking for the Captain. His eyes stopped when they reached his sister.

"Excuse me, Mr. Scott. There's something I need to take care of." Griffin cringed as Ryan slammed his drink down on the table and marched over to his sister's table. Griffin rubbed his temples. It was going to be a long night.

"Where is he off to?" Scotty asked. Griffin ran a hand over his face and watched as his friend made his way toward his sister.

"He's off to make an ass out of himself and get landed in the brig, that's where."

Ryan crossed the room, practically shoving people out of the way. He thought that perhaps he had been mistaken when he saw his sister from across the room, but it was not the case. He saw the man's hand inching slightly lower than the small of her back and felt his hands clench into fists, practically drawing blood. He walked up to them and all her friends became silent. Claire noticed the silence and turned around.

"Oh hey Ryan, you having fun?" Claire asked. She seemed to have just noticed the Captain's arm around her and turned red. This sight made Ryan clench his fists even harder.

"Up until just recently," he hissed through his teeth. Jim turned around and offered him a smile.

"I thought you said you were single?" He asked as a smirk plastered itself on his face when he saw Claire turn scarlet. Claire might not have known how the legendary Captain Kirk was among women, but Ryan knew and he wasn't about to let him try and take advantage of his sister.

"She is single. And that's not going to change because of some womanizer like you," Ryan spat as he shoved Jim away from his sister.

"Well if she's single, then I see no problem here." Jim shoved Ryan back, taking a step closer to Claire.

"Actually there's a big problem here. YOU!" Ryan bellowed as he swung his fist at Jim, who wasn't expecting it. A sickening crunch was heard as Ryan's fist connected with his nose and blood began leaking out onto Jim's shirt.

"Aw, this was a new shirt too," Jim whined as he looked down at his shirt. Ryan went to through another punch, but Jim caught it, pushed his fist aside, and threw a punch of his own into Ryan's stomach. Ryan let out a small grunt and fell to the ground while Jim threw another punch at his face. Ryan's head jerked at the impact and paused for a moment before kicking Jim in the knee. Ryan quickly got to his feet, prepared for anything that Jim was going to throw at him.

Another punch flew toward Jim and he fell against a group of cadets. Ryan positioned himself ready to punch him again and Jim mimicked the action. Jim threw the first punch and Ryan blocked it before throwing one at his jaw, which hit its target. Jim stumbled back before faking one punch and punching Ryan in the side, causing him to fall back on the table. Before Ryan could retaliate, a few cadets stepped in and restrained both men.

"Dude, just breathe," Griffin said to Ryan, who was still trying to punch the Captain in the face.

"What the hell, Ryan?" Claire snapped. Ryan spat out a mouthful of blood before turning to his sister.

"Captain Kirk is just a womanizing fool. He only wanted you for sex," he explained, but Claire just stared at him in disbelief.

"I'm twenty-two years old, Ryan. I can take care of myself and make my own decisions. If I wanted to sleep with him, it would be my decision, not yours." Ryan just looked down in shame as Claire continued to scream at him. Jim smiled as the cadets let him go.

"Well if you'd like to sleep with me, let's go," he told Claire, his arrogant smile returning to his face. Griffin had to tighten his grip on Ryan as the younger man tried to break free again. Claire's face went red, realizing what she just said in front of the entire bar, including Jim.

"Let me go, Griffin. I'm going to break his face!" Ryan cried as another cadet helped Griffin pull Ryan away from the scene.

"You need some air, man," Griffin said, pulling Ryan towards the door.

"No, I need to beat the living shit out of Kirk!" All the patrons turned back to Claire and Jim as Ryan's voice became a mere echo from the front door.

"Older brother?" Jim asked as he returned to Claire's side. She ran a hand through her blonde hair and nodded.

"Yup, that'd be him," she muttered. She turned a deep scarlet as everyone in the bar continued to look at her. She turned to Samuel, who gave a small nod.

"Alright, show's over! Go back to your drinks and whatever else you were doing!" The bar slowly turned back to what they were doing and it was then that she felt an arm on her waist. She turned to Jim, who was smiling down at her.

"So, about that whole sleeping with me…" She turned red and shrugged his hand away. The more he was around her, the more intoxicated she seemed to feel, even without alcohol.

"Oh, um well… You see I was just trying to… uh. You know what; I think I'd better go see how my brother is doing. Excuse me, sir." She tried to turn away, but was pulled back by the Captain.

"Well wait, would it be so bad for you to come back to my place?" If it were possible, her face became redder.

"Well, um…Captain, you're my boss, and I really don't want to sleep with my boss, so excuse me," she said, pulling away and practically running out of the bar to where her brother currently was.

"Let me go, Griffin! I swear to God if that son of a bitch even thinks of touching her, he won't be able to walk for a week!"

"Chill out. Jesus Ryan, you trying to wake up half of the academy?" Ryan glanced over at her.

"You're not sleeping with him?" Claire rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm not going to sleep with him. I'm not a fan with sleeping with my future boss," she said, walking over to the two men. "Hi Griffin, it's nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you too, Claire," Griffin said as he wrapped his arms around the younger girl.

"How's life on the_ Berlin_ been treating you?" Claire asked as they pulled away, completely ignoring her fuming older brother.

"Great! I was meaning to tell Ryan this too, before he attacked Captain Kirk, but I was just made chief engineer of the_ Berlin_ yesterday," Griffin told them proudly. Ryan stopped plotting Kirk's death for a moment to pat his best friend on the back.

"That's awesome, man. I'm glad they see what an amazing engineer you are!" Griffin nodded as Claire attacked him with a hug.

"I'm so happy for you, Griffin. That's great news!" She told him as she let go. Griffin nodded.

"Yeah, I thought so too. You know, it's getting kind of late. You two might to start thinking about heading home. Your first day on a new starship is probably going to be the toughest." Claire nodded and looked over her brother.

"Good idea. Ryan, if you want, I can heal those up for you. It would only take a few minutes." Ryan nodded and looked at Griffin.

"I'll see you tomorrow, man," he said, pulling him into a hug. Griffin pulled away and chuckled.

"Don't think just because you're my best friend that I'll go easy on you." Ryan laughed.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Ryan replied. Griffin turned toward Claire and pulled her into another hug.

"Be careful, I would hate to have to hear Ryan piss and moan if his little sister got hurt." She pulled away and nodded.

"Yeah, hate to be there to listen to that," she said. Ryan rolled his eyes and took hold of his sister's arm.

"Let's go, see you later Griffin." Griffin nodded.

"Bye Griffin, be careful, and don't let Ryan do anything stupid!" Claire called while her brother led her to the car.

"Alright, take care!" Ryan waved and got into the driver's seat of the car.

"What, you don't trust me to drive?" Claire asked with a small smile on her lips. Alcohol was still pumping through her body, but she figured that she was still sensible enough to drive. Ryan didn't even smile back.

"No," he replied dryly as he turned on the engine. Claire folded her arms angrily over her chest and glared at her brother.

"You know, you don't have any right to be acting like this. You're the one who chased off the guy who was hitting on me, got your ass kicked by said guy, and made a huge scene in the bar while completely humiliating me. I think if anyone has a right to be pissed here, it's me," Claire shot at her brother, who didn't say anything as he backed his car out of the bar. "Are you even listening to me?"

"A little bit," he mumbled as he pulled out into the rode, gently rubbing his bruised stomach.

"A little bit? Seriously Ryan, you need to-" Ryan stopped the car in the middle of the rode and turned to face his sister.

"I was just trying to protect you! Sorry if that has suddenly become a crime here on earth, but I know Kirk and what he does to women. He uses them for a one night stand and never talks to them again. You deserve so much better than that!" Ryan yelled, startling his sister. There was silence in the car as a horn sounded behind them. Ryan cursed under his breath and continued driving. "I'm just worried about you," he whispered to Claire, breaking the silence.

"I know you are, Ry, but I'm twenty-two. We're big kids now and I don't need you protecting me anymore." Ryan nodded and focused all his attention on the rode in front of him. Despite what Claire said, she was still his little sister.

"Claire, I'm not always going to be there. I know you think you can protect yourself, but the truth is that you don't realize how dangerous people really are. Jesus," Ryan muttered. Claire placed her head against the window as she watched the lights from the other cars drive by. She didn't want to think what would happen tomorrow when, for the first time since she was born, she would be separated from her brother.

"I know," she whispered. They pulled up to the dorms and Ryan shut off his car, but didn't get out. Claire paused and looked over her brother, wincing when she realized that his injuries were a bit worse than she thought.

"Do you want me to heal those?" She asked. He shook his head.

"No, I'm fine." She frowned.

"Ryan… you're cheek is really swollen." Ryan leaned his head back against the seat.

"So is my pride," he told her. Claire sighed.

"Well, it obviously didn't effect how stubborn you are. Please, let me heal your injuries, Ryan." Without a word, Ryan got out of the car.

"I'm fine. You should go to bed," he mumbled as he started off to his dorm.

"Ryan, don't be like this!" Claire called out as she too exited the car. Ryan held his keys over his shoulders and locked his car.

"I'll see you tomorrow before you leave!" Ryan yelled back. Claire ran a hand through her hair, a nervous habit that the two siblings shared.

"So stubborn…" She muttered as she turned in the direction of her own dorm.

**

* * *

**

The Next Day

Claire gave a yawn as she walked to the loading dock, her duffle bag loosely hanging off her shoulder. Even after the whole fiasco of last night, she found a party in her dorm. If it wasn't for her roommate shoving her off the bed, she probably would've slept through her alarm and missed leaving for the _Enterprise_.

"Claire!!" Someone shouted. Claire turned around and smiled as Trisha ran toward her.

"Hey, Trisha. How you feeling?" Trisha shrugged.

"I've been better. I just want to wish you luck before you head up." Claire nodded.

"Thanks, good luck with the whole teaching thing. Try not to hit on any of your students." Trisha laughed and hugged her friend.

"I'll try. You come back alive, you hear?" Claire nodded and pulled away.

"Bye, Trisha." Trisha gave a sad smile.

"Bye, Claire." Claire smiled and turned away from her best friend and began to search the area for the only person she wanted to say goodbye to. After a good ten minutes, she finally found him talking to a few of his engineering friends. She walked up to him and tapped his shoulder. He turned around and gave a small smile, before turning around and saying goodbye to his friends. He turned back to her and noticed the dark bags under her eyes.

"Hey, you alright?" Ryan asked worried.

"I'm just a bit tired. Are you alright?" She asked as she noticed the swelling on his face had gone down. He gave her a croaked smile and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, just a few bruises here and there. I'll live." Claire nodded.

"Good, because I'm not going to have time to heal you before we leave." Ryan nodded as a sad smile covered both their faces.

"So this is really good-bye then, is it?" He asked unsurely, his hands shoved his pockets. Claire noticed the black bags under his sad eyes and figured that her brother didn't sleep well the night before because of his nerves. She didn't realize that he hadn't slept at all the previous night because he was dreading the final good-bye to her.

"Well, not really. We'll stay in close contact and I'm sure we'll get to see each other every so often," Claire offered optimistically. Truthfully, she was thinking the same thing as Ryan. This was good-bye. He frowned and nodded.

"Yeah, sure… There is always shore leave." Claire nodded and pressed her lips together in order to not cry.

"I'm going to miss you," she whispered, looking down. He frowned and nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll miss you too, Claire. Don't worry, I'll send you messages all the time. We'll never stay out of touch." Claire nodded and took a deep breath, making sure she didn't cry in front of her older brother.

"Yeah, of course. It'll be like nothing happened," she said, laughing a little at the end of her statement. Ryan sighed and pulled her into a hug, knowing that this could be the last time in a long time that he would ever be able to hug his sister, if at all. Claire pulled away and wiped away the few tears that did manage to fall from her eyes.

"I love you," she said, her grey eyes meeting his.

"I love you too; just don't let anyone know that." She laughed and hugged him one last time.

"Keep in touch, okay Ry?" He nodded and kissed her cheek.

"Of course, you too, Claire." She smiled and adjusted her duffle bag strap.

"Always." Before either of them could say anything else, a voice on the overhead came on.

_"Final Boarding for all members of the _U.S.S. Enterprise_, final boarding for the _U.S.S. Enterprise_!"_

"Well, that's would be your call. Try to stay out of trouble," Ryan pleaded, but Claire just smiled as a few stray teardrops fell down her face.

"I make no promises," she said playfully and turned to leave.

"Wait, Claire!" She paused and turned back around to her brother.

"What?" She asked, a little annoyed that she could barely hold back her tears.

"I… I love you. I know I just said it, but I wanted to say it once more. To make up for all the times I didn't say it. I'm going to miss you so much, Claire-bear," Ryan said, choking back his own tears. It wasn't manly to cry, even if you were saying good-bye to your little sister.

"I understand. I love you too, Ry. Take care!" She called back as she broke off into a jog. Missing the shuttle to the _Enterprise_ would not be a good way to start off on your very first day.

"_Final Boarding for all members of the _U.S.S Berlin_, final boarding for the _U.S.S. Berlin_!"_

"And that would be my call," Ryan muttered to himself as he picked up his duffle bag off the floor and headed to the shuttle boarding for the _Berlin_. Ryan made his way to the shuttle, smiling when he saw Griffin checking people off a list on his clipboard. He quickly wiped away any evidence that he had been anywhere close to crying, then walked up to his best friend.

"Conaway, Ryan… you are cleared for duty, Ensign." Ryan smiled and gave a small nod to his friend.

"Thank you, sir," he replied. Before he walked into the shuttle, Griffin took hold of his arm.

"Save me a seat, will you?" Ryan nodded and walked in, placing his duffle bag on the seat next to his. He sat himself in the seat next to the window and frowned as he watched the shuttle for the _Enterprise_ take off. He wondered if Claire had gotten a seat away from windows, since she tended to get a little sick when it came to flying. He laughed at the idea and watched as his friend made his way toward him. Ryan quickly stuffed his duffle bag into one of the upper compartments to make room for Griffin.

"You took the window seat? You ass," Griffin muttered, sitting down next to him.

"I'm not missing the view," Ryan told him. Griffin chuckled and checked his data pad.

"The shuttle will take off pretty soon. You sure you got everything?" Griffin asked. Ryan thought it over for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, I believe so. I can't remember leaving anything behind, except my car." Griffin laughed.

"Is that why you look like you've been crying?" Griffin asked as he continued laughing. Ryan folded his arms angrily.

"I haven't been crying!" Ryan exclaimed, causing a few other Ensigns to turn to look at him.

"Dude, you totally were. Your eyes are all red and swollen." Griffin pointed out as Ryan calmed down. He rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed realizing that he'd been caught.

"Well, you'd be crying too if you had to say good-bye to your baby sister," he mumbled to which Griffin frowned.

"Ryan, she's not a baby anymore. She's a big girl about to go start her own adventure. I hate to say it man, but she can really get the chance to start living now that you're not there to protect her anymore. And vice versa. You need to live for yourself for once." Ryan rolled his eyes and buckled his seatbelt as they began to take off.

"I know, I know. She's still my sister. Hell, I practically raised her." Griffin sighed and shook his head. He was never going to get through to his friend.

"Well, either way, you'll have a lot of work to do on the _Berlin_, so I wouldn't worry about worrying about her. You'll be lucky if you can make it to your bed before passing out in the hallway." Ryan laughed and watched as the ships appeared in front of them.

"I can't wait." Griffin patted his friend on the shoulder.

"I know you can't. This is going to be a hell of an adventure, dude." Ryan's grin got wider as the Ensigns began to get their stuff together. He followed in suit and they all trekked out of the shuttle, not expecting what was waiting for them.

"Ensigns! If you are part of engineering crew, make your way over here!" Ryan's head jerked in the general direction from which he heard the voice. He and a few other Ensigns ran over and stood in line, while Griffin looked them all.

"Alright, you are to get changed into your uniforms and report for duty. If you work hard and do as you're told, you might be considered for a promotion. If you slack off, well… it's obvious you'd like to stay a Ensign." A few of the officers chuckled and Griffin nodded to one of them. He stepped forward and paused, looking over the group in front of him.

"Well… what are you waiting for? GO!" A second later and all of them scattered, all running to get a uniform. Ryan was among the cluster, trying to get fitted for a red uniform. People were shoving each other left and right trying to get to a machine to take the measurements and produce and form fitting uniform for each Ensign.

"I hope Claire is having better luck than I am…" Ryan mumbled as an overly large man cut in front of him. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Only three new additions to the medical staff? Why do I feel like I'm leading a dying profession?" The Chief Medical Officer of the _Enterprise_ mumbled to himself as he glanced over a clipboard. He flipped a page and appeared to be reading over something as Claire looked on. She stood next to a boy who appeared to be around her age and a woman who had to be at least in her early thirties.

"Alright, nothing for you to do, go make yourselves useful and try not to kill anyone. Oh, you are no longer cadets, but doctors, so try to act like it." The Chief Medical Officer muttered, walking to a patient who was throwing up. The boy next to Claire turned toward her and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Alex. I think I was in your biology class," he said. Claire nodded and took his hand.

"Claire, sorry if I don't remember you. I frequently slept through that class." The woman on the other side raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's why I remember you, not to mention you were constantly getting yelled at during class," " Alex told her. She chuckled and shrugged.

"Eh, it was a boring class anyway," she replied.

"Biology is a key to becoming a good doctor; you should've paid attention." The woman on the other side of her said. Claire looked a little taken aback by the woman's sharp tone.

"Yo, chill out Pam. Obviously she paid attention enough to become a doctor." Pam scoffed and walked away, leaving Claire alone with Alex.

"Pam?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Alex just nodded.

"Pamela Beach. She's been trying to get onboard a real ship longer than you or I've even considered joining Starfleet," Alex explained.

"So, she's like really good then?" Claire asked as Alex led them over to the assignment screen.

"I never said that. She's just read the books so many times that she's got them memorized. She never had much luck with the medical field. Or any other field for that matter." Claire nodded as they checked the board.

"Great, an engineer got a wrench… caught where? Oh jeez, I better go take care of this as soon as I can. Good luck on your first day!" Alex called as he grabbed a portable medical case and took off to the engineering deck. Claire smiled and shook her head.

"Engineers aren't the smartest, but they sure know what they're doing when it comes to fixing things," Claire mumbled as she looked down the assignment list. "Captain Kirk? What's he doing on the list?"

"I'm just a simple guy trying to get a date with a very sexy lady." A voice said from behind her. She felt her heart jump up in her throat when she heard him. She slowly turned around and her grey eyes gazed upon his face. Now that she was a bit more sober, she could see just how handsome he really was. She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to stop her eyes from traveling over his body. To be honest, she didn't think that men that good looking were even real.

"So, what do you say?" He asked, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

_"Captain Kirk is just a womanizing fool. He only wants you for sex!"_ Even miles away she could hear her older brother scolding her and the more she thought about it, the more she realized that he was right. Not only was it bad if she slept with a womanizing fool, but it was worse that he was in fact her boss. No, sleeping with him would not be a good idea. No matter how good looking he was or how many somersaults he made her stomach do when he was around.

"Is there something wrong, Captain?" She asked. Kirk raised an eyebrow, his perfect smile still on his face.

"Yeah, you're not giving me an answer…" He told her, leaning against the wall. In the light, she was able to better get a look at the few bumps and bruises on his face that her brother had left.

"I'm not going to give you an answer. Is there anything wrong with you medically?" She asked as she confirmed his statement. He frowned.

"Why not?"

"Why isn't there something wrong with you medically? I don't know, usually that's a good thing," Claire told him, but he wouldn't budge.

"Is it your brother? Because I checked, he's a few galaxies away by now," he stated matter-of-factly. Claire took a step back. No matter how handsome the captain was, that was too far.

"That's kind of creepy. I have my own reasons, Captain. Now if you'll excuse me, there are patients here that need my help." She tried to turn away and look back at the assignment board, but Kirk grabbed her arm. He gave a gentle pull, but she refused to turn to face him.

"Come on, Claire. Just one little date?" He pleaded. Claire wanted to turn around, stare once more into his beautiful blue eyes, and say yes, but she couldn't. There were too many reasons to say no. She shook her head and grabbed a patient's chart. Even with her back turned toward him, she could feel his eyes travel down her back. This caused her to wish that she had a longer skirt, but that didn't seem to be an option for Starfleet.

"Sorry, sir, I have work to do." She turned around and almost ran into him.

"Just one?" He pleaded. She looked at her patient chart and shook her head.

"I'm sure you'll find another girl to ask out, sir." Jim smirked and was about to speak before someone walked up to them.

"Jesus Jim, stop hitting on my medical staff!" Jim turned toward the person and smiled.

"Bones, I thought you were doing physicals." Claire looked up at the Chief Medical Officer, who was glaring at the Captain.

"I leave those types of things to the cadets," he said, then turned to her. "Get back to work!" He snapped. She jumped, but nodded.

"Yes, sir," she replied. Bones watched as she ran to the first patient she saw. He then turned back to Jim, who had his eyes focused on her butt.

"Oh for Christ's sake, Jim. The last thing I need is for you to cause drama for my medical staff." Jim rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, Bones. It's just a date," Jim told him.

"Jim, I cannot have you make another new doctor switch to a new ship. So if you're going to 'date' any one in here, you better be serious. My staff can't deal with anymore of your bullshit," Bones told him sternly. Jim just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Bones. I'm not giving up so easily though," he said as he turned around in search of Claire. "I'll catch up with you later, Claire!" Jim called out as he headed towards the exit. Claire didn't even look up from her work to acknowledge the Captain.

"He will not be making my life any easier." Claire mumbled as she finished a patient's physical.

"You tell him!" The old woman said as she got up and left sickbay. Claire gave her a funny look before walking back over to the assignment board. She sighed and looked out of the many windows the medical ward had. It was going to be a long first day.

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

Jeck: *grumble grumble* Not even going to do this the democratic way with a coin…

Raxsah: You're just mad because you had to write first. I started the damn story first…

Jeck: And I was born first, so shut your dirty whore- HEY THERE! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter to our story. Mmmmm cliché…

Raxsah: Yes, we will post more… eventually. As long as we push ourselves to write more… but we're busy, so maybe if you ask really nicely we will post more. Ha! Just kidding…

Jeck: Sexual favors work too. :D

Raxsah: Depending if you're hot or not.

Jeck: If you look like Chris Pine, she'll take you on the floor where you stand. lol

Raxsah: You know it! We're joking. We don't accept sexual favors from strangers… Only friends.

Jeck: Oh… we don't?

Raxsah: Not since the last time…

Jeck: Oh right, but we don't talk about that… right?

Raxsah: So like we said, reviews are nice so feel free to leave one or two…

Jeck: Or if you're like some of the people who've reviewed my stories, feel free to send multiple pages worth. We'll probably end up printing them out or something and drawing smiley faces on it or something weird like that. Oh wait, maybe that's just me…

Raxsah: Yeah, I usually just put the nice reviews on my wall of awesomeness in my room.

Jeck: Next to the picture of my face, of course. I'm sexy! :D

Raxsah: Sure, if it helps you sleep at night, hun.

Jeck: It does, indeed. Oh, and if you don't like our endless rambling, you should stick that in your review. It will be noted and ignored, but still.

Raxsah: If you have anything you don't like in our story, let us know. We really don't give a flying fuck, but we'll read it anyway.

Jeck: Hehe… you keep leaning over me and your hoodie tickles.

Raxsah: You are such a child. This is why we can't go to Friendly's anymore.

Jeck: MY TOWER OF AWESOMENESS SAUCE (literally)

Raxsah: Ugh, ANYWAY……… Did you want to add anything?

Jeck: Penis.

Raxsah: ……

Jeck: No, I'm good thanks.

Raxsah: SO, Show some love, or not… we really don't care. We have bigger things to deal with.

Jeck: As they said in the good ol' days of , R & R. :D

Raxsah: Thank you and good day!


	2. Black Hole Sun

_**Note, this is just our ranting and giving the disclaimer. If you scroll down you will find the story.**_

_**Jeck: **__There once was a man from Nantuckit…  
__**Raxsah: **__I'm not even going to continue that song, it's too dirty for this story.  
__**Jeck: **__Mmmmm I'm too dirty for you, babe. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Ugh, Hello Fanfiction… we're back!  
__**Jeck: **__And dirtier than ever!  
__**Raxsah: **__I'm pretty sure that's only you. ANYWAY, we'd like to thank those who took the time to add this to their alerts list, and the one person who sent us a message, it made us smile.  
__**Jeck: **__Actually no, you kinda thought they were pushy, remember? We don't update on demand. We just update every Friday now!  
__**Raxsah: **__I was joking. You're so literal. I really did like it, but we are going to post every Friday… unless there is something going on and we can't get together to write it. And once we get some reviews, we'll respond to them in the Authors notes at the bottom.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, what she said. And not the dirty kind, the literal kind. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Word. Anyway, we don't own Star Trek, if we did, a second movie would be out by now, and it would be similar to this.  
__**Jeck: **__Or you'd be introduced to the most ridiculous crack pairings ever! Lol  
__**Raxsah: **__It's not crack paring since they're secretly true.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah… that's true…. OH MY GOD! STOP SINGING!!!!  
__**Raxsah: **__You are just jealous of my awesome singing skills. Plus, it's my house. My house, my rules, my rules say LET'S SING!!!  
__**Jeck: **__You want me to sing? You want me to sing while I sound like an 80 year old man with lung cancer?  
__**Raxsah: **__No, I'll do the singing. Sorry, I keep being distracted by my parents talking. ANYWAY! We don't own anything related to Star Trek, the only thing we own is the OC and a bit of the plot.  
__**Jeck: **__Okay, let's just finish the intro now.  
__**Raxsah: **__Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 2: Black Hole Sun

* * *

"I officially hate being an engineer," Ryan whined as a doctor finished stitching up his hand. His red uniform was completely covered in grease, his hair was a mess, and the fatigue of the long day was settling in.

"It's something that you're going to have to get used to. But I did warn you, the first day is a killer. At least you know what to expect now." A voice said from the door. Griffin stepped into the medical ward and smiled down at his friend. He took a glance at his friend's hand and hissed.

"Yeah, I got it caught in a machine. It's nothing major, I'm sure I can continue work without a problem." Griffin shook his head.

"Well, at least you're determined. That'll get you far." Ryan nodded.

"So, when do we get to sleep?" Ryan asked while the doctor began to wrap up his hand.

"Soon. First there is dinner and you can meet all the other engineers." Ryan nodded and stood up when the doctor was finished.

"Thanks," he said. The doctor nodded as he and Griffin walked out of the medical center.

"So, other then getting your hand caught, how was your first day?" Griffin asked.

"It was… long. I don't remember having so much fun around a bunch of machines," Ryan told him. Griffin nodded and smiled. He was glad his friend was taking to life in space. Perhaps if he kept working like this, he wouldn't worry so much about Claire.

"That's good to hear. I'm glad you're enjoying life as an engineer." Griffin gave Ryan a pat on the back as they entered the cafeteria. Ryan stopped as he watched the crew members attack their food as if they hadn't eaten for days.

"Is it normally this much like a zoo in here?" Ryan asked as he watched two men tackle each other for the last seat at a table in the back. No one dared stop the two as one man knocked the second man to the ground and starting knocking teeth out of his mouth.

"Yeah. Usually this only happens on ships like this though. Mostly because it's full of men." Griffin told him, acting like it was nothing new.

"Oh…" Ryan said as he continued to look around the mess of a cafeteria. He felt Griffin pull him toward the serving table and broke his gaze.

"Don't stare; they might go after you next." Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Funny. Wait, are you serious?" Ryan asked after looking at a few of the crewmembers. Griffin laughed and picked up a tray of food.

"Dude, chill. No, they're not going to eat you. They have higher standards than cannibalism." Ryan rolled his eyes and picked up his own tray. Griffin led him to a table and they both sat down. "You just need to calm down, you're too jumpy."

"I've just been thrown onto a ship and left to fend for myself. If I wasn't jumpy, I'd be surprised," Ryan said, taking a bite of his sandwich. Griffin laughed and shook his head and ate his own dinner.

"You could be handling it worse. So far you're doing alright." Ryan nodded and glanced out the window. All in all, it hadn't been that bad of a day. He had been thrown into engineering and told to do some errands, one of them happened to be helping someone to fix a data pad that connected to a warp core pipe. After he had done that, he was sent on more fixing jobs. It was only a few hours later that he found himself in sickbay. All in all, it wasn't such a bad day.

"Yeah, it's was pretty good," he said. Griffin smiled and watched as his friend dove into his dinner. Ryan was only a year or so younger than him, but he was much less experienced than he was. During Starfleet, he had been able to branch out a little more than he would have at home, but it wasn't much. He contributed that mostly to Claire. Ryan was always either so busy with his work in Starfleet or making sure Claire was alright. It was not his fault, nor her's, but it was the truth.

"Just a warning, life out here can be pretty crazy," Griffin warned.

"I'm up for it. Jesus, this is the longest I've had this much fun in a while," Ryan told him.

"That's because you've spent most of your life babysitting," Griffin said, his eyes plastered to his plate. Ryan abruptly stopped digging into his food and looked up at Griffin.

"I didn't have much of a choice at first. Our parents never really had that much time to raise two kids. The responsibility fell on me," Ryan explained as he pushed his food around on his plate with is fork. He had suddenly lost his appetite.

"Yeah, but you guys are adults now. Besides, you deserve to have time to yourself and enjoy what you like to do," Griffin pointed out as he began eating his own meal. Ryan nodded and continued to eat his own dinner.

"I guess you're right," he said as Griffin paused.

"Really? No arguing?" Ryan shook his head and Griffin raised an eyebrow.

"I'm way too tired to argue. And besides, you might be right for once," Ryan offered. Griffin nodded as Ryan's words sunk in.

"Wait, what do you mean for once? I'm right plenty of times," he defended. A few guys who were busy inhaling their plates of food paused to survey the two men, but didn't pay attention for long.

"Yeah, whatever you say," Ryan countered and laughed as Griffin just glared.

"Alright, you know what; keep talking and I'll put you on the graveyard shift." Ryan frowned.

"That's not cool," Ryan muttered. Griffin laughed then looked past Ryan, flagging down a few guys coming their way.

"There you are Griffin; we thought you ditched us for a minute." One of them said as he sat down next to Griffin. Ryan looked at the three guys in front of them. Two of them had darker hair, while the last had a hair full of red hair.

"Ryan, this is Harry, Liam, and Paul. Guys, this is Ryan." Liam shook Ryan's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Griffin keeps telling us how much of a good engineer you are," he said. Ryan smirked.

"Well, I'm pretty decent. I get the job done," Ryan told them, a cocky smirk coming to his face.

"Sweet. I'm the head pilot. Harry is the CMO and Paul is second in command of security."

"Nice to meet you," Harry said, eating some of his salad. Ryan nodded.

"How long have you guys been on here?" He asked.

"I've been here since I graduated five years ago," Paul told him, smirking at one of the two females on board.

"I've been here for just about as long," Harry said, eating a bit more.

"And Liam has been here as long as I have," Griffin said.

"Wow, I feel like a newbie," Ryan muttered.

"Well, you are a newbie," Griffin said as he elbowed Ryan in the side. Ryan dropped his fork on the table and glared, but Griffin chose to ignore him.

"So how was your first day on the _Berlin_?" Liam asked as he patted Ryan on the back, causing him to choke on his food. Once he had recovered, he looked to the three men staring at him.

"It wasn't too bad," he said as Paul rolled his eyes.

"Looking at your hand says otherwise," he told him, gesturing to his injured hand. Self-consciously, Ryan pulled his hand closer to his body in attempt to draw attention away from it.

"He made a little slip up, leave him alone," Liam defended, but Paul just shook his head.

"Paul, leave him alone. We all screw up from time to time," Harry said as he smacked Paul upside the head. Paul rounded on Harry.

"You want to start something?" Paul spat angrily and Harry shrugged.

"I could take you any day," Harry countered as Liam, Ryan, and Griffin watched the two men getting ready to attack.

"Seriously? Can you guys go one dinner without getting into a fight?" Liam whined as Paul ducked, just barely dodging Harry's fist. He countered with an elbow to Harry stomach, but Harry jumped back before Paul could land a hit.

"Do they do this a lot?" Ryan asked in amazement at the speed and grace the two men were displaying.

"Almost every dinner. Well, unless they're serving salmon. Those guys are too busy eating to even pick a fight then," Griffin explained as they continued to watch Harry and Paul fight. Ryan just shook his head.

"Wow, I don't think I've seen so much fighting in one evening." Griffin chuckled.

"You're one to talk, throwing punches at famous Captains. You are very lucky that he didn't take you to an Admiral." Liam looked over at them.

"You punched a Captain? Which one?" Ryan ran a hand through his hair.

"Uh… Captain Kirk," Ryan admitted. Liam laughed.

"No way! Really?" Ryan nodded. Griffin shot a look at Liam.

"Don't say anything. The kid has gotten enough crap from people today," Liam shrugged and watched as Harry landed a punch right in Paul's gut. Ryan flinched.

"Jesus… you guys really get into it." Griffin laughed and shrugged.

"It's what we do." Liam looked over to Griffin.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I heard that there is a big meeting for senior staff and you're required to be there." Griffin sighed.

"Shit, I need someone to cover me for my shift," Griffin said. Liam gestured to Ryan.

"Have Ryan take the shift. Give you a break," Ryan's eyes went wide and he looked at he friend.

"Good point. Ryan, you're on the graveyard shift tonight." Ryan gave a heavy sigh and glared at his friend.

"You suck," he hissed.

* * *

"You suck!" Claire snapped, slamming her tray on the table. Alex sat down across from her and flinched. A few other Ensigns that they graduated with all looked at them.

"Okay, I already said I'm sorry." Claire just continued to glare at him.

"I was covered in a man's bowel movement because of you!" She shouted. The man next to her gagged.

"Oh my god," he said. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Come on! You honestly think I wouldn't shower six times after that?" She asked. Alex just shrugged.

"I had to remove a wrench from a man's ass. I don't know how it got there, but I know how it got out of there. Don't even start with me about shitty days," Alex shot back. The two glared at each other before another tray slammed onto the table.

"Welcome to being a doctor on the _Enterprise_," Bones shot at the two before picking his tray back up and moving towards the table that Captain Kirk and a Vulcan were eating.

"Who's the guy with the ears?" Claire asked as she watched him from afar. Alex leaned to look past her.

"Spock. He's a bastard," Alex told her indifferently. Claire turned back to her food as yet another tray was dropped on their table.

"I do hope you two finished cleaning up all your medical equipment before leaving for dinner," Pam shot at them as she sat down next to Alex.

"Why does it seem like every doctor wants to slam their tray on our table?" Alex asked angrily as another doctor walked pass, slammed their tray on their table, picked it up, and walked away. "THAT WASN'T AN INVATATION!"

"Alex, shut up. Pam, go sit with your own friends," Claire snapped. Pam glared at her.

"Don't talk back to me, I'm your senior!" Pam snapped.

"I don't care how old you are, just leave me alone." Claire snapped, placing her head in her hands and resting the weight of her head in them.

"Is someone sick of space already? Maybe you should've stayed back on earth." Alex stood up.

"Jesus Christ, shut the hell up! You're just jealous at the fact that it took you five years to get on any ship and she got on the _Enterprise _as soon as she graduated. Go away, Pam!" Pam glared at him before looking at Claire.

"Too good to fight your own battles?" Claire looked up at her, a very bored expression on her face.

"Pam… say whatever you want, but honestly, I don't care. I'm tired, I'm cranky, and I've had human shit all over me today. You are the least of my worries," Claire said before putting her head on the table, not even looking at her food. Alex sat down and began eating, while Pam walked away, but not before slamming her tray on the table one more time. There was a pause before Alex spoke once more.

"You want me to lock her in a shuttle bay for a few hours?" Claire looked up and began to pick at her dinner.

"Not really…" She replied. Alex watched as she ate a little bit of her spaghetti, but left her pudding alone.

"You going to eat that?" Claire looked at her tray before shaking her head and tossing it on his tray.

"It's all yours dude." She told him, taking a bite of her dinner. She wasn't very hungry and having someone expel their waste all over you might have had a significant role in it.

"You okay, Claire? I know you're not in the best of moods, but you look downright depressed. Almost makes me feel bad that I asked for your pudding," he said as he plunged his spoon in the cup of chocolate pudding.

"It's just been a rough first day," she mumbled as she watched Alex make a huge mess with his pudding.

"Tell me about it. Are you sure that's it?" He asked through a mouthful of pudding. Claire gave him a half-smile.

"I'm sure. It's funny, my brother used to do that a lot," she told him as she passed him a napkin. Alex wiped his mouth before taking another spoonful of pudding and shoving it into his mouth.

"Do what?"

"The talking with your mouthful thing." Alex shrugged as he continued to eat happily. Claire pushed a meatball across her plate as an idea hit her.

"You know what? I think I'm going to go see if I can get a hold of my brother and see if his first day on the_ Berlin_ was any better than mine," Claire declared as she rose from her seat. Alex nodded.

"Alright, so if you're not back in twenty minutes we can assume your doing something like talking about your day or whatever with your brother. Does he actually like to talk about that sort of thing?" He asked.

"Yes in fact, he does," she defended. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Is he gay?" He asked. Claire glared and snatched her pudding from his hands.

"Give my pudding back, you don't deserve it," she snapped. Alex frowned for a second before shrugging.

"I already ate most of it… but hey, are you going to eat the rest of your dinner?" Claire rolled her eyes and dropped the pudding back on his tray.

"I don't care… just clean up my tray when you're done," she told him. He smirked.

"Score!" Claire let out a laugh before walking out of the cafeteria and walking toward her quarters. Since she was a doctor, her quarters were pretty close to sickbay, and sickbay was only a level or two away from the cafeteria. This resulted in her getting to her small quarters fairly quickly and she went straight to the computer.

Just as she was about to hit the button, she paused. Was it such a good idea to try and call him? What if he was working? Not to mention she didn't want him to think she couldn't spend a day without him. Hell, it hadn't even been a full day. She let out a sigh and pressed the button anyway.

"Call Ryan Conaway, _U.S.S. Berlin._" The computer beeped a few times and the sound of ringing filled the room. After a minute of no answer, the computer buzzed again.

"Conaway, Ryan, is not receiving calls at this time." The computer said in a mechanical voice. Claire sighed and spun around in her chair a few times. It was probably for the best. She didn't want Ryan to think that she couldn't handle spending time without it. Just as Claire was getting comfortable in the chair, a knock fell upon her door.

"Enter." Claire called out and the CMO took a step into her room.

"Congratulations. You get the night shift in sickbay tonight with Pam," he told her. Claire groaned and leaned back in the chair.

"Seriously?" She asked in disbelief.

"Like I would lie to you. Enjoy the rest of your first day," he replied dryly and left her room. The door slide shut right behind him.

"Good riddance," she mumbled.

* * *

"Graveyard shift?" An engineer asked from the other side of the room. Only four or five engineers reported to the night shift and thanks to Griffin, Ryan was one of them.

"Yeah, I am," Ryan said as he stifled back a yawn. He had such a long day and was looking for the chance to head back to his room and pass out, but no such luck.

"Welcome. The name's Oliver. Over there is Dom, Rupert, and the pretty blonde in the corner is Colleen. Hi Colleen!" Oliver called out. Colleen responded by flipping him off. Oliver just smiled and waved back. "She secretly loves me."

"I'm sure she does," Ryan grumbled back. Oliver smirked and blew kisses at her. She rolled her eyes and walked over to the two of them.

"Oliver, I swear to god if you don't stop being so weird, I'll shove this wrench so far up your ass that you'll miss a month," she hissed. Oliver paled and held his hands up in defense.

"Okay, I'll back off a bit." Colleen rolled her eyes and glanced at Ryan.

"Oh, hi, I'm Colleen. You must be one of the new guys," she said. Ryan nodded and shook her hand.

"Yeah, I'm Ryan." Colleen smiled.

"Nice to meet you. What did you do to piss off Griffin?" Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, last year when he was second in command, he usually was able to get most of the new guys to do the graveyard shift for him. So, I ask again, what did you do to piss off Griffin?" Ryan groaned and shook his head.

"I'm his friend," he muttered. Colleen raised an eyebrow, but shrugged it off.

"I'm not even going to ask. Since you're hand is busted, you can just monitor everything. I'll come over and check out everything a little later," she told him. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, will you?" He asked. Colleen smirked and nodded.

"Well, I am the senior ranking officer here, so what I say goes, okay?" He nodded.

"You bet," he told her, a smile coming to his face. Colleen chuckled and walked off, going to boss one of the other engineers around.

"Dude, you're totally going to steal my girl!" Oliver snapped.

"Oh please, Oliver… Colleen wouldn't be your girl even if you begged," Dom said. He and Ryan briefly made acquaintance before Oliver jumped back into the conversation.

"Dude, one of these days, she's going to realize she loves me," he told them. Rupert laughed, even from his place at the work table.

"Please, you have better chances with a Vulcan."

"Yeah, you've been trying to hook up with her since you got here," Dom interjected. Oliver crossed his arms over his chest angrily.

"I have not!" He said defensively. Dom just shrugged.

"You're right, my bad. Just since you met her." Ryan and Dom broke out into laughter as Oliver's face got red.

"That's not fair!" He cried, but Ryan and Dom just kept laughing. After a minute, Ryan wiped a few tears that had appeared in his eyes from laughing so hard.

"Why don't you just give up already?" He asked, resulting in Oliver's finger in his face.

"Why, so you can take her?" He shot back, waving his finger in an accusing manner. Ryan held his hands up in his defense.

"I have no interest in her!" He countered, but his cheeks went red. She was pretty; he wasn't going to deny that. Her green eyes sparkled with confidence which was fueled by the power she held. She stood tall and proud and her golden hair was pulled back to accent her strong facial features. Plus, she had a rack to die for.

"I see the way she looks at you!" Oliver snapped, forcing Ryan to take a step back. Dom was beside himself laughing.

"Oliver, did you take your medication today?" Rupert asked from across the room.

"Ask me that again and see what happens!" Oliver yelled across the room.

"The worst you'll do is call him Ruppy again," Dom said from his spot next to Dom. Rupert whorled around in his chair and glared at Dom.

"Dom!" Dom shrugged.

"Sorry, Rupert." Just as Oliver was about to go off again, Colleen walked back into the room.

"If you don't shut up and get to work, all of you will be cleaning out the transporter conduits for a week. Now shut up and get back to work," she snapped. All the men jumped into gear and Ryan walked over to his station, taking one quick look at Colleen before going to work.

* * *

"Are you actually sleeping?" A voice said. Claire gave a sigh and opened her eyes, glaring at the woman in front of her.

"I was, until you interrupted me," she snapped, turning over.

"You are on shift! You can't just sleep!" Claire sat up and glared at Pam. This woman was more trouble than she was worth.

"Honestly, I seriously doubt anyone is going to come running in here anytime soon with a major problem." Pam crossed her arms.

"You don't know that," she said. Claire looked at the time and rolled her eyes.

"It's midnight, who on their right mind would be awake at this hour?" Claire said, falling back on the patient's bed.

"We are up…" Claire glared at the older woman.

"Obviously not by choice…" Claire mumbled and closed her eyes again. She intended on going back to sleep, but Pam decided to slam her hands down on the table that was currently being used as a pillow.

"You're not leaving me on shift by myself! Why not trying acting like you care about your job for once?" Pam spat angrily, causing Claire to rise to her feet.

"Excuse me, but you don't even know me. We just met today. You don't know anything about me!" Claire countered, but Pam shook her head.

"I know enough. I'm surprised they even passed you out of the academy!" Pam snapped. Claire placed her hands on her hips.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She snapped.

"It makes me wonder how a slacker like you could've gotten through the academy. Starfleet must be lowering their standards," Pam told her.

"And what does that say about you, since it took your forever to even get on a starship!" Pam scoffed and grabbed a patient chart.

"I don't need this from a punk ass kid!" Claire rolled her eyes and walked to the generator.

"I don't need this from an old bag," she muttered. She ordered a coffee and began to drink it almost as soon as it came out of the generator, almost burning her mouth in the process. She sat down at the main station and began going through her email, stopping once in a while when something important came up. After thirty minutes of just doing that, she figured she would write a message to her brother wishing him well.

_'It couldn't hurt… right? I'm just saying hello,' _That was Claire's rationalization on the situation. She began writing, deciding to keep it short and sweet before sending it to him and leaning back in her chair. Her relaxation was short lived when one of the engineers on the nightshift came in and puked all over the floor. Claire walked over to him and pulled him aside, Pam was right next to her.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I am going to admit him, then make sure he's okay," Pam crossed her arms.

"What about the mess?" Claire shrugged.

"You have nothing better to do," Claire offered with a sneer as she helped the engineer into sickbay. The engineer clung to her as if his life depended on it.

"You're going to pay, Conaway," Pam swore as she glared down at the pile of vomit on the floor.

* * *

Claire entered her room after a long day in sickbay and collapsed onto her bed without even removing her shoes. She was just about to let sleep take over her exhausted form when a ringing noise filled the room.

"What do you want, computer?" Claire grumbled as she threw a pillow over her face, resisting the urge to scream. For the past three days, all she had time for was work, work, and more work. It wasn't helping that the CMO had scheduled her for the night shift two out of those three days.

"Incoming call from Conaway, Ryan on the _U.S.S. Berlin_. Will you receive the call?" The computer asked in a feminine, yet robotic voice. Claire shot up from her position on her bed.

"Really? Yes, of course!" She said. The computer soon brought up the image of her brother and she moved to her desk.

"Hey Claire, how have you been?" He asked. For a second, Claire was extremely jealous of her brother. He looked tired, but still looked like he was able to get a good night's sleep. She, on the other hand, had no such luck.

"Busy, how is everything over there? I heard it's full of dudes, I bet that's fun," Ryan chuckled, but shrugged. It was then he got a better look at his sister. It was obvious that she hadn't slept in a while, due to the dark circles under her eyes. Her uniform had a few spots of blood on it, along with a few other things that must have been from being a doctor. Her hair was very tangled, and it looked like she hadn't showered in a bit.

"It's… interesting. You wouldn't believe how many guys will pick a fight about anything," Claire laughed and moved to take her boots off.

"Ugh, I'd hate to be medical on that ship, its bad enough over here." Ryan nodded.

"How are you over there? You make any friends?" He asked. She finished taking off her boots and nodded.

"Yup, I sit with a group of ensigns at dinner, but only one of them is in medical with me. He's sort of my new friend," she said. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Who?" He asked.

"Uh… Alex Chambers, he was in my biology class," she told him.

"Oh… are you… close?" He asked, sounding a little embarrassed.

"No, he's just a friend. And an ass." Ryan laughed and shook his head.

"At least you're having fun," he said. She nodded.

"What about you? You make any friends?" He shrugged.

"I'm sure if you call them friends. Some of these guys are slightly crazy," he explained and she chuckled.

"Of course you'd be the one to attraction a bunch of crazy dudes." They both laughed and an uneasy silence fell over them.

"You're not looking too well, Claire. Is everything okay?" Ryan asked, worry evident in his voice. Perhaps it was because she was tired and slightly cranky, but Claire's first instinct was to respond with angry.

"Yeah, I'm just peachy. I can handle myself you know," she shot, causing Ryan to run a hand through his wet hair. Claire guessed that he had just gotten out of the shower before calling her.

"I didn't mean it like that, relax. I just wanted to make sure everything is okay," he reasoned, trying to not make her any angrier. Claire took a deep breath and sighed.

"Everything is fine. You don't need to worry all the time. I'm just tired," she told him, relaxing into the computer seat.

"Yeah, I figured. Well, I don't want to keep you too long. You look like you need a shower and a good night's sleep." Claire nodded.

"That I do. I'll talk to you again soon, okay?" Ryan nodded from his end and gave her a thumbs up.

"I'm sure you're working miracles over there."

"I wish, I'll talk to you soon, love you." Ryan smiled.

"Love you too, be careful." Claire nodded and shut off the screen. She immediately got up and headed for a shower, grabbing her pajamas and towel. The moment the water hit her back, she was in heaven. After three days of doing nothing, but working, a nice shower was just perfect. Sadly, Pam ended up working with her more than Alex did. The only upside was Pam was still working, while she had the night off. When she was done with the shower, she put her pajamas on and went straight to her bed, not bothering to do anything else. The moment she hit the mattress, her doorbell rang.

"No! I'm not working tonight!" She yelled into her pillow.

"Claire, its Alex… I have coffee," Claire begrudgingly got up and got to the door and opened it, grabbing the coffee from him immediately.

"What are you doing here?" Claire asked, taking a sip of her coffee. Alex shrugged.

"Not a whole lot, this is a bit of a thank you for letting me eat your dessert the past three days." Claire raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? You are just looking to pay me back?" She asked.

"That… and I've been single for a really long time," he said. She scoffed and handed back his coffee.

"No thanks, I don't do friends with benefits," she said. He took his coffee and frowned.

"Damn, I was hoping I could get some. I would go after Pam, but sex with her would be just… awkward," he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"You are an ass," she told him.

"Well, if you ever want a booty call, I'd be happy to be your booty call."

"You just want to get laid," She yawned. She glanced down the hallway just in time to see Captain Kirk walking their way.

"And there is nothing wrong with that! I have a fully function, and large by the way, penis and you're pretty damn hot. I see nothing wrong with us relieving a little tension after a long da-" Alex stopped mid-sentence as Kirk chose that moment to walk by her door. Claire's face turned bright scarlet as Kirk just smiled.

"Maybe I'm just not trying hard enough," he whispered to her in a nonchalant manner and continued walking to his destination. Alex folded his arms angrily as he turned back to Claire.

"Seriously? The Captain? I bet I could pleasure you in ways he couldn't dream," he told Claire as she ran a hand through her wet hair.

"Alex, just stop. We're friends, nothing more," she told him once again before going to turn around.

"Wait Claire, I have one last important thing to ask you," Alex said in a completely serious voice. She turned around to see his hazel eyes giving her a sad, almost pleading look.

"No sex," she repeated. Alex shook his head, the serious look never leaving his face.

"No, it's not that. What I'm about to ask you is a very serious issue," he explained, grabbing her by the shoulders. Claire had never seen Alex this serious before, but then again, she had only known him for a few days.

"What?" She asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Okay, here it goes. Claire… can I still have your pudding cups?" She pulled away and smacked his shoulder.

"Get the hell out of here; I have work in the morning." Alex nodded.

"Fine, I'll go hit on some chick in the science department," he told her.

"Have fun," she said.

"Oh, I will."

* * *

"Dude, why is there no women on this freaking ship?" Paul snapped, sitting down next to Ryan. Ryan nodded absentmindedly. Aside from Colleen and another girl from medical, there were hardly any women in this ship.

"I know… I can't wait for shore leave… I wonder if we'll dock with another ship this time," Harry muttered.

"Guys, we just left shore leave three days ago. Why would you possibly want to go back?" Liam asked.

"To get some ass, right Ryan?" Griffin said. Ryan coughed up some of his soup, not expecting Griffin to speak to him.

"Oh, uh… yeah, I guess." Paul raised an eyebrow.

"You guess? Who doesn't want some ass?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"You aren't gay? Are you?" Liam glared at Harry.

"There is nothing wrong with being gay. Stop being an ass Harry," Liam defended. Ryan shifted uncomfortably.

"Uh, I'm not gay." Griffin looked to his friends.

"I told you so," he said. Harry just shrugged and attacked his soup like every other time that sat down to eat.

"Good, we don't need another Liam," Paul whispered to Ryan who looked up at Liam. In those fifteen seconds of looking at Liam, really looking at him, Ryan understood Paul's words. Well, that and he noticed the eyeliner.

"I heard that Paul," Liam shot from across the table. Harry snorted into his soup, but continued eating.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. Ryan, you're on the graveyard shift again. The senior officers have another meeting tonight," Griffin told Ryan as he tore a piece of bread off from the slice and dipped it into his soup. Ryan groaned as he dipped an end of his grilled cheese sandwich into his tomato soup.

"Seriously? Didn't you have one of those meetings like three days ago?" Ryan asked, trying to hold back a whine. Griffin nodded.

"That we did. Captain Shay keeps setting up these meetings for us though, so we can't say no. Besides, pushing off graveyard duty to you makes me sleep better at night," he explained to Ryan as Harry and Paul began throwing bits of crackers at each other from across the table.

"I feel like I'm on a ship with a bunch of gorillas…" Liam mumbled as he spread a napkin across his lap. Ryan raised an eyebrow as he looked back to Griffin.

"Has he always been like that?" He asked. Griffin raised an eyebrow and glanced back to Liam, who was carefully eating his salad.

"Yeah, you just don't notice it until you know," Griffin whispered. Ryan nodded and continued to eat.

"So, do you have a girlfriend?" Liam asked. Ryan shook his head as he watched Harry began flicking the bits and parts of his soup at Paul.

"No, I uh… I never really had time during the academy," Ryan said. Liam frowned.

"Such a shame," Ryan glanced at him and Griffin chuckled.

"Too bad you're not gay; Liam would be all over you." Ryan turned pale.

"Eww, that's nasty!" Paul said, scrunching his nose. Liam rolled his eyes and they all changed the subject, causing Ryan to let his mind to wander. His eyes landed on Colleen, and he watched as the other girl on the ship helped her braid her hair up. He had briefly debated on asking her out, but threw that thought away. The last thing he needed was drama on his first job. Not that she would bring drama, but better safe then sorry.

"Hey, did you hear me?" Griffin asked. Ryan jumped a little.

"Sorry, I got distracted, what did you say?" Griffin rolled his eyes.

"I asked if you talked to Claire recently…" Paul raised an eyebrow.

"Claire? There is another chick on the ship?" he asked.

"No, she's my sister. She's on the _Enterprise,"_ Ryan told them. Harry smirked.

"Is she hot?" Ryan chose to ignore Harry's question and turned to face Griffin.

"Yeah, I talked to her yesterday. She seems really stressed out and tired, I guess that comes with being a doctor. I don't even want to take a guess and what she was covered in," he explained, causing Paul and Harry to smirk.

"I bet I can tell you what she's cover in," Paul started.

"The same thing I covered that hot babe over there in!" Harry finished, pointing to the girl who was braiding Colleen's hair. They broke out into a fit of laughs while Liam and Ryan just glared.

"You guys are sick," Griffin stated, but laughed along with them. Ryan slammed his spoon down on the table.

"Don't talk about my sister that way!" He shouted, catching the attention of Colleen and her friend.

"Dude, we were just jok-" Liam cut Harry off.

"Just being ignorant. That's so disrespectful. What if I started talking about your little sister like that, Paul?" Liam countered, but Paul just burst out laughing again.

"She's like twelve. That makes you a pedophile," he said, causing Griffin and Harry to join him in laughing. Ryan pressed his lips together and threw his spoon to the side.

"Dude, I'm just joking." Paul told Ryan. Ryan just ran a hand through his hair.

"Whatever," Ryan muttered. Griffin shook his head and continued to eat.

"Just relax, Ryan. No one is going to try anything on your sister," he assured him.

"Yeah, don't worry dude. I don't fuck doctors anyway," Paul muttered.

"You fucked that medical chick the other night," Harry reminded him.

"Yeah… but I was desperate. I don't know who hasn't fucked her," Paul said. The guys laughed and Liam shook his head.

"You guys are so immature. I'm heading back to the bridge," Liam said, standing up and walking out of the cafeteria. Paul and Harry stood up next.

"Yeah, we'd better get going too… not all of us have lackeys doing our jobs for us." Griffin rolled his eyes.

"Alright, whatever… just leave," Harry and Paul chuckled, but left the table, leaving only Ryan and Griffin.

"They're… interesting," Ryan stated.

"If they were gay, they'd be the perfect couple." Ryan laughed and shook his head. A silence came upon them before Ryan spoke once more.

"So, what's with all these meetings you guys have been having?" Griffin froze.

"I'm not sure that you're ready to know yet," he said, trying to act nonchalantly, but Ryan had known him for years and knew when Griffin was hiding something.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Ryan asked, trying to get some information out of Griffin, but knowing how stubborn he was at the same time.

"It means that I have a meeting to go to and you might want to take a quick nap before your shift tonight. Graveyard duty really sucks when you're dead on your feet," Griffin told him as he grabbed his tray and left the dinner hall.

"Griffin? Griffin!" Ryan crossed his arms and glared at his soup. He was slowly starting to hate Griffin.

_

* * *

_

**Raxsah:**

_Ze plot thickens! We hoped you enjoyed the chapter.  
__**Jeck: **__Indeed we do! As we sit around barely paying attention to the story. Oh wait, that's just me…  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, well with your attention span, that doesn't surprise me. Well, we'd really appreciate if we got a few reviews, we don't ask for much, just some reviews and alerts, and favorites… nope, not much at all.  
__**Jeck: **__Messages work too. We'll take what we can get. *wink wink* :D  
__**Raxsah: **__I'm not even going there… We'd like to wish everyone a happy valentines day, or a happy singles awareness day. Sadly, our "Valentines Day" chapter just now came into the though process, so we are not able to post it.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, so Happy Valentines Day… in like April or something. Just know that we'll be thinking it during the happy (or not) holiday. We'll be chilling and celebrating our own single's weekend. But that's okay, I think… :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Too bad we didn't anticipate the six day weekend, we could've started much earlier.  
__**Jeck: **__Oh yeah, but it's been an awesome six day weekend! :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Heck Yeah. Anyway… Review and all that good jazz. Later!  
__**Jeck: **__Much later… in my bedroom ;) No… not really! :D  
__**Raxsah**__: … R and R!_


	3. Breaking the Silence

_**Raxsah:** Hello all! Hope you had a lovely valentines day…  
__**Jeck:** Why yes, I was very happy and single. Thanks for asking.  
__**Raxsah:** If you're being sarcastic, I have no sympathy for you… I'm single too.  
__**Jeck:** That's okay because we had an awesome singles weekend. Even if I did make everyone in your house sick…  
__**Raxsah:** Yeah… shit happens. ANYWAY, We're back with another chapter, filled with suspense and action. Maybe, romance… I can't remember…  
__**Jeck:** More action and suspense kind stuff. The fun stuff. The sex stuff comes later. :3  
__**Raxsah:** Right, Well… there is more to the story than just sex. There is fluff too, that tends to be my department though…  
__**Jeck:** Mmmmm fluffy marshmallows… like mmmmm… oh, speaking of fluffy deliciousness, THANKS FOR THE REVIEW PATDfan2012!  
__**Raxsah:** Yes, thank you. Normally we would write a reply at the bottom… but there wasn't a whole lot to reply to. lol.  
__**Jeck:** Yeah, I'm glad you liked the chapter. There will be more. Enough said. Not that I'm trying to be mean or anything, it was a lovely reply.  
__**Raxsah:** Yes, So… we obviously don't own Star Trek, or anything associated with it. We only own our OC's  
__**Jeck:** Yeah, what she said. Cause there's not much more I can say 'cept read the chapter and don't take buttsex from strangers.  
__**Raxsah:** Uh… don't have sex with a strangers in general. Thanks again for those who added this story to their favorite and alerts lists. We hope you enjoy the chapter._

* * *

Chapter 3: Breaking the Silence

* * *

"Welcome back, my good friend," Oliver greeted as Ryan walked into the engineering room, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. He had taken Griffin's advice and took a short nap before his shift started.

"I would kindly like to point out that you were ready to hurt him last time for looking at 'your woman' funny, if I remember correctly." Rupert called from across the room as he began recalibrating one of the machines. Oliver turned around to face the Englishman.

"No one asked you!" He snapped, causing Ryan to jump at the starling noise. Rupert was about to say something back, but decided that Oliver wasn't worth the air and turned back to his machine. Oliver gave Rupert a smug look as Ryan sighed.

"Oh, because I totally didn't miss this…" He mumbled to himself, causing Dom to snicker. Oliver rounded on him.

"I heard that! What's that supposed to mean?" He shouted, grabbing Ryan by the collar.

"Dude, Oliver, you're like mildly bipolar," Dom said from his spot on the floor, rewiring one of the main computers.

"BRING IT, VINCENTINO!" Oliver let go of Ryan and slide across the floor to Dom. Dom tossed a screwdriver at him, hitting him in the head and stopping his attack. Oliver fell back across the floor, holding his head in pain. Ryan ignored him and turned to Dom.

"Vincentino?"

"That would be my last name. Dominic Vincentino."

"Oh, that makes sense," Ryan replied, unconsciously running his hand through his hair. It was so obvious, and yet the thought never occurred to him. Dom was obviously Italian considering he had a dark tan, dark brown hair that almost looked black in the right light, and a very unnoticeably accent. How could he have missed it before? It was just one surprise after another for him.

"Oh good, Ryan is joining us again tonight. Where's Griffin? He can't just keep passing his shift off to you," Colleen asked as she entered the room. Like everyone else, she ignored Oliver rolling around on the floor in pain. Dom and Rupert never even looked up from their jobs.

"He's at some meeting with the other senior officers." Colleen raised an eyebrow.

"They've been having a lot of those lately… weird. Anyway, since you have a fully working hand, you can help Dom with whatever he's working on," Colleen told him.

"And what would that be?" He asked.

"It's supposed to attach to a torpedo; supposedly it makes the thing invisible until it hit's its target." Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't that the Science department's job?" He inquired.

"It is, until it begins to be built. Then it's our territory." He nodded and walked over, sitting at the working table next to Dom.

"Hey, I'm supposed to help you." Dom nodded and handed him a pile of junk.

"Try and figure out what the hell this is," he said. Dom nodded and they sat in silence for a minute.

"So… how long have you been on this ship?" he asked.

"I don't know; a year or two. Why?" Ryan shrugged.

"It just seems like all the senior officers are… weird." Dome paused and looked at Ryan, watching as he quickly began to search through the wad of junk.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

"I don't know… all the meetings they've been having. It's all so secret. They've got to be up to something," Ryan muttered. Dom shrugged.

"Dude, in this place, sometimes it's better just to nod your head and just do as you're told," Dom told him, going back to his job.

"And you just… go with that?" Ryan asked. Dom sighed.

"Look dude, you seem cool. I like you, and I wouldn't mind being friends. You just have to realize that there are some things you just don't ask questions about," Dom explained as he turned back to the junk parts. Ryan just starred down at the floor now feeling slightly uncomfortable being around Dom. "I'm just looking out for you." Dom continued, trying to place two parts together.

"Err, thanks Dom," Ryan responded as an uneasy and uncomfortable silence filled the room as the two men worked. Somewhere in the corner, Oliver was still crying in pain.

* * *

"Ugh, my feet are killing me!" Claire cried out as she collapsed on a nearby medical table. Alex walked in, checking over a patient's chart.

"Problem?" He asked without looking up from his clipboard. She shot him a nasty glare from her position on the table.

"I've had the night shift two days in a row now, haven't had a wink of sleep, and have been working my butt off. You try dealing with every little problem that walks in here with only coffee and Pam's bad attitude for two days!" She rambled, practically pulling out her hair.

"Does that mean I get your pudding cup again tonight?" Alex asked, flipping to another page on the clipboard. He briefly glanced up to see that Claire had disappeared from the bed. "Ummm… Claire?"

"Boo!" She screamed from behind him. He jumped and turned around, fixing her with a nasty glare.

"What are you, five?" he snapped. Claire laughed and sat back on the bed.

"Sorry, I just wanted to see if you'd notice I was gone. I blame the sleep deprivation," she said, falling back on the bed. Alex rolled his eyes and sat down on the bed by her feet, even her boots looked worn out.

"Maybe you should call out sick or something," Alex suggested.

"Oh yeah, how am I going to do that?" she asked, turning over on her stomach.

"Pretend to be sick," he told her, going over a few things on his patient chart.

"Oh yes, let's try and play sick to the Chief Medical Officer. Let's see how well that goes over." Alex rolled his eyes and watched as the head nurse walked over to them.

"Doctor Conaway," she said, looking down at her data pad.

"What?!" Claire said, giving a muffled scream into the bed.

"You have a patient asking for you," she replied. Claire looked up, her eyebrows furrowing.

"What do they want?" she asked, getting off the bed, making sure she didn't hit Alex.

"I'm not sure, he just said he had a pain in his chest and you were the only one who could help him." Claire rolled her eyes as she straightened out her uniform, still thinking it was much too short of a skirt.

"Fine, I'll check it out," she said, grabbing her data pad and beginning to walk away.

"So… about your pudding cup…" Alex said.

"Sure… you can have whatever desert I get. Just stop asking me," Claire muttered.

"Thanks Claire!" Claire rolled her eyes and she pulled the curtain back of her patient.

"Hello, what seems to be the problem?" Claire asked, looking up from her data pad. As soon as her eyes landed on him, she had the sudden urge to simply turn right back around. Instead, she was rooted to her spot. Though, she contributed that to the fact that he was giving her that killer Kirk-smirk, and he was shirtless.

"Well hey Claire," he said, putting his muscular and well toned arms behind his head, causing his abs to flex. Claire briefly wondered if her nose had begun to bleed, but shook her head. She couldn't rid her mind of the dirty thoughts that were currently swimming around in her head. Part of her didn't want to, after see his chiseled chest.

"Hey C-Captain. W-What seems to be the p-problem?" Claire asked, trying to force the words out of her mouth. If possible, his smirk got wider.

"We've been over this, Claire. Just call me Jim," he told her, sitting up on the bed and coming face to face with her. For a moment, Claire thought that her heart had stopped beating as her nervous grey eyes met his playful bright blue ones.

"I-in the sickbay, s-sir, I'd prefer to call you the C-captain," she replied, forcing herself to take deep breaths. She was not going to pass out in front of the shirtless man sitting before her.

"Suit yourself. So, I have this problem…" Jim started, placing his right hand over his chest, right above his heart. Claire finally got herself under control as he realized that there was something wrong with Jim.

"Okay, describe this problem," Claire asked looking down at Jim's patient chart. According to the chart, he was having severe pains in his chest. She was able to control her raging hormones as she realized that the Captain could be in danger.

"You see, I get this pain in my chest every so often. My heart just hurts and aches uncontrollably," he explained, rubbing the area covering his heart. Claire nodded, ignoring the seductive smirk that Jim was giving her.

"I see. Is there any pattern to when the pain starts?" Claire asked, checking a few other sheets that she had with her.

"Actually, yes. Every time I see you, the heartache starts. I'm not doctor, but I think the only way to cure it is for you to go out on a date with me," Jim told her in his normally smooth fashion. She looked confused before she suddenly realize where this was going. She placed the chart down and crossed her arms.

"Seriously? You bothered me at work for this?" she asked. He chuckled and moved himself to the edge of the bed in order to get closer to her. She simply took a step back and continued to glare at him. She hoped her glare was convincing, because she was quite sure she wouldn't be able to hold it if she looked down at his chest.

"Would it really be that bad to go on a date with me?" he asked.

"Yes, it would!" she snapped. She looked over and realized a few people in sickbay were looking over at them, causing her to blush. She turned around and closed the curtain, not wanting anyone to get any ideas. She turned around to the Captain standing up and walking toward her. She quickly moved so there was a bed between them, and continued to try and glare at him.

"Why would it be such a bad idea to go on a date with me?" he asked, placing his hands on the bed and leaning forward.

"For one, you are my boss! Sleeping with your boss is one of the worst things you could possibly do," she explained.

"Even if your boss is drop dead sexy?" she turned red and took a deep breath.

"Look… it's just a bad idea," she told him. He stood up straight and crossed his arms, causing the muscles in his chest to flex.

"That's it? Because I'm your boss?" she placed her head in her hands and gave a frustrated groan. Why did he have to be so damn good looking? And why the hell did he have to make her feel like an idiot when he was around?

"I don't want to date a womanizer, especially one I hardly know!" she told him. When it came to dating, Claire was baffled how someone could date another person when they just met them, let alone be 'in love' with that person at the same time.

"I'm not a womanizer, just a very passionate man," Jim said, trying to defend himself, but Claire knew better.

"Just go, please. You're not ill and you're fine. Just go," she instructed him, crossing off everything that had been on his chart. While she was distracted, Jim walked around the bed until he was standing right in front of her. Claire looked up and froze, distracted by his alluring smile. He took her lapse in thought to grab her pen, push her chart aside, and lean forward. His warm breath tickled her nose, but she couldn't move.

She felt a sort of fire run through her body, and her stomach was busy doing summersaults. Even her lips tingled with anticipation of what was about to happen. She knew that she wanted this, wanted to feel his soft lips caress her own, but she knew it was wrong too. Just as his lips were about to graze hers, the curtains were yanked back and the CMO stood glaring at his friend and his cadet. Claire jumped back, causing Jim to stumble forward.

"Damn it, Jim, stop trying to seduce my doctors. Conaway, go help Chambers with his patient," he snapped. Claire rushed away, trying to clam her racing heart. The Captain had almost kissed her. She had almost swapped spit with none other than James T. Kirk. What the hell was she thinking? She walked over to Alex and grabbed his patient chart out of his hands. Alex just raised an eyebrow and began to give medication to his patient. It was only when he realized she was just staring at the chart.

"Claire, you alright?" she looked up and pressed her lips together, debating on whether or not she could tell Alex. He was her friend, right? They had been pretty close over the past week, she could trust him, right?

"Claire!" Alex shouted. She jumped and looked behind her, watching as the Captain began to walk out of sickbay while placing his shirt back on. She quickly walked over to Alex, causing him to give her a confused look.

"I have a problem," she said, moving even closer to him. Alex turned back to his patient and gave him a sedative, watching as he soon went to sleep. "Alex, are you paying attention?" Claire asked.

"Claire… you have a lot of problems, you might want to be specific," he told her.

"I do not!" she snapped. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Uh yeah, you do. That's not the point, what is you're issue this time?" Claire frowned and crossed her arms.

"You're an asshole," Alex rolled his eyes.

"Are you going to tell me your problem or not? I'm not one of your girlfriends who will stand around and gossip with you all day."

"I don't understand how you can be so nice one minute, and such a jerk the next." Alex smirked.

"It's a gift." Claire sighed but continued on.

"I have this huge problem with the Captain." She whispered.

"I hate to break it to you, but stuff like that tends to happen when you sleep with your boss," Alex told her, grabbing the patient charts and writing down his patient's stats.

"I am not sleeping with the Captain! I'm not sleeping with anyone," she snapped.

"Maybe that's your problem."

"Are you still angry because I won't sleep with you?" She asked in one of the most annoyed voices that Alex had every heard from her. Even Pam didn't make her that crazy.

"I'm not angry, just horny," Alex said without regret, though the glare Claire gave him almost made him reconsider his words. Almost.

"Ugh, look, I'm trying to be serious here and you're the only person here who doesn't cause more drama in my life than I need. If you're seriously for like, five minutes, I'll give you half of my dinner tonight." At Claire's words, Alex's ears perked up. He dropped everything that he was doing and sat down on a patient's bed facing her.

"Now you're talking. What's wrong, Claire-bear? How can I help?" He asked sincerely. He was sincere about getting her food. Claire debated smacking him, but decided that she didn't have the energy.

"You're still an asshole, but that's not the point. The Captain will not leave me alone. He just keeps coming onto me no matter how many times I say no!" She cried out, falling backwards onto a bed next to Alex. She threw her arms out and became dead weight.

"Well, why is that a problem? I mean, he's obviously not a good-looking as me, but he's okay looking. What's wrong with sleeping with him?" Alex told her, flexing his arms to emphasize how good looking he was. Claire rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her hair which was sprawled out on the table.

"Because he's the Captain. He's like our boss!" She shot, but Alex shrugged.

"Well no, Dr. McCoy is our boss. Kirk is the boss of the ship that you just happen to live on. Think of him like the president or something," he explained, but Claire shook her head.

"You're not helping, Alex, and tonight we're having steak." Again, Alex's face got serious. With steak on the line, it was like a life or death situation.

"In that case, get a fake boyfriend," he suggested. She raised an eyebrow.

"A fake boyfriend? What is the point of that?" she asked.

"Well, if he thinks you're taken, he might back off." She paused and sat up, thinking over the situation.

"Oh my god, maybe you're right," she whispered. He raised an eyebrow.

"I am?" he asked. She nodded and pulled him across the room where there was a supply closet. She pushed him in and closed the door.

"I have an idea," she told him.

"Usually I don't have sex in closets, but if you'd really want to-"

"You can be my boyfriend!" she said, totally ignoring his statement. He paused and gave an awkward cough.

"Um… are you crazy?" she rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm a little sleep deprived and haven't had enough caffeine-"

"Nor enough sex apparently." He told her. Claire grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Alex, I really need help. I'm not sure I can resist much longer, and if I sleep with Kirk, not only will I not be able to set foot on this ship, I'm pretty sure that my brother will kill me. I need help!" she begged. Alex's hazel eyes continued to stare straight into her tired grey. She looked a mess. Strands of her blonde hair had fallen out of her bun, and fell over her shoulders. Her skin was a bit paler than when he first met her, and the bags under her eyes were a bit more prominent. She was still pretty though, just not model gorgeous that he knew Kirk was known for going after. He briefly wondered why he was perusing her so much.

"Please, Alex. I'm so tired, I have so much work, I have to deal with Pam on a daily bases. And to add to the list, I haven't heard from my brother in four days… I can't deal with this too. Please, just help me." She said, letting her head fall onto his chest. Unsure of himself, he placed a comforting hand on her back and gave her a few smoothing pats.

"Fine, just stop begging. It's not too flattering on your part," he told her. She leaned up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You're an asshole, but you're pretty awesome too," she told him as she gave him a hug.

"So, considering I'm your fake boyfriend, do we get to have 'fake' sex too?" He asked as they walked out of the closest.

"Don't push it, Alex. Or I might not give you my pudding cups anymore," Claire warned, causing Alex to shut up on the spot.

* * *

**One Month Later**

A month aboard a starship was beginning to have it's toll on the new recruits, and Ryan wondered if he would ever see land again. Griffin assured him that he would get over it, and once he was back on earth, he wouldn't be able to wait till he got back on the ship. Ryan doubted that would ever be true, but nodded and gave a smile toward his friend, or at least, he thought they were still friends.

It was a bit difficult to tell, since all the senior officer meetings, Griffin had been different. In fact, almost all the commanding officers had seemed different. Every time Ryan tried to ask about it, but Griffin just brushed him off, leaving him feel a little let down. This had been his friend for years, and he was just brushing him off like he was nothing. It wasn't exactly a feeling he wanted to be left with.

"Ryan, you almost done?" Colleen asked, causing him to jump a bit. Ryan nodded and handed her the device.

"Yeah, here it is…" she nodded and looked it over.

"Good job," she said, offering him and Dom a smile. She turned around and began to walk away, but Ryan followed her.

"Wait, Colleen, can I ask you a question?" she rolled her eyes and turned toward him.

"I don't date other engineers," she stated. He ran a hand through his hair.

"I wasn't going to ask you that," he told her. She turned a bit red and gave a small nervous chuckle.

"So uh… what were you going to ask me?" she asked.

"Um…" he stepped closer to her. "Do you know what's going on around here?" he asked. She looked a bit confused.

"You know, with the senior officers. Something just seems so off about them." Colleen frowned and shook her head.

"I've noticed it too, but no, I don't know. Just keep your chin up, Ryan. Things are fine, I'm sure," she assured him as she took the device that Ryan and Dom were working on and left. Dom turned to Ryan and was just about to say something when a voice came over the loudspeakers and echoed through the engineering deck.

"_Will all engineers please report to the meeting room immediately!" The _voice boomed. Ryan looked around as the other engineers put down what they were working on and exited the engineering deck. Ryan and Dom followed. Rupert ran up to them.

"Any idea what this is all about?" He asked, earning lost looks from his friends.

"None what-so-ever," Dom replied. Before Ryan had a chance to speak, he was thrown forward by an unknown weight.

"WHAT THE HELL?" He shouted, earning a few glances from the other engineers. Dom started laughing as Oliver's face peeked around Ryan's head.

"It's just me," he said, giving Ryan a 100-watt grin.

"I don't think you're doing much to help yourself," Rupert said from beside Ryan. Ryan was shoved forward again as Oliver launched himself from Ryan's back to Rupert.

"Has anyone been keeping track of his medications?" Dom asked as Rupert shoved Oliver off and into a wall. Oliver fell to the floor with a look of pain on his face.

"That fucking hurt, man!" He shouted as he held his head in pain.

"Oliver, shut up. We're here," Rupert said as they entered the meeting room. All the engineers were cramped together. Griffin pushed past Oliver and Rupert as he ran up to the front of the room.

"Gentlemen and Colleen, take a seat and be quiet!" Griffin called out, his voice loud and demanding. A silence fell over the room as everyone's attention turned to him. Ryan noticed Oliver on the side, sitting like a frog and hopping up and down. It was days like today that he wondered how Oliver passed his mental health test to get into the academy. A few more senior officers entered the room and stood next to Griffin, one of them being Paul.

"I'm glad I have your attention. Now men, and Colleen, we're going to be engaging an Aenar ship in less than one hour. We have orders to engage and destroy this ship. We're going to need you all to be on your toes. Damage might occur to the ship and we need you prepared for what we're about to face. This meeting was called because the _Berlin _has never before engaged a ship in combat and a lot of you have never dealt with a situation like this before. Just remain calm and do what you know how to do!" Griffin instructed, causing a mixture of confused and determined looks from around the room.

"That's strange. Aenars are a pacifist race. What could they have done to anger the Federation?" Rupert said. Ryan shook his head as Dom shrugged.

"I don't ask questions, I just do what I'm told," he said as he left Rupert and Ryan alone.

"I'm starting to think that something really wrong is going on…" Ryan said, earning a nod from Rupert. Oliver sprung up in front of the two men.

"I feel pretty, oh so pretty, I feel pretty, and witty, and-"

"Let's go," Rupert said as he grabbed Oliver by the ear and drug him back to the engineer deck. Ryan walked slowly, trying to let the information sink in. in the back of his head, it just didn't seem right. Why would they just start attacking an Aenar ship? It was like beating up a blind alien. Well, it actually was beating up a blind alien.

"Hey, you alright?" Colleen asked. Ryan sighed and stopped, pulling her aside.

"This isn't weird at all to you? We're just randomly going after a Aenar ship, just like that. It just… doesn't feel right," he said, running a hand through his hair.

"I know, but what are we going to do? Let's just… go with it for the time being," she told him. Ryan nodded and watched as she walked away. Her ran a hand over his face and gave a very heavy sigh. He had no idea what was going on here, but he didn't like it one bit.

"Conaway, let's get to work!" a officer shouted. Ryan nodded and ran off to work. Maybe if he just kept busy, he could ignore the horrible feeling in his stomach.

* * *

"Alright, we're approaching the Aenar ship, everyone get ready!" Griffin shouted. Ryan continued to monitor the torpedo bay, just like he was asked, and looked up, waiting for his orders. This wasn't right, he knew it, but what was he going to do?

"Conaway, are the torpedoes ready to be fired?" Ryan nodded.

"Yes sir," he answered, his voice monotone. He couldn't find himself to be excited like the rest of the crew. He glanced over at Dom, who was giving him the '_Just go with it'_ look. He pressed his lips together and looked back at his monitor.

"_Firing torpedo one!" _the computer read. Ryan watched hopelessly as the shot was fired and the machine got ready to fire once more.

"Direct hit, get ready for another one! Conaway, make sure you reload the torpedo holder, we wouldn't want to run out of weapons." Griffin told him. Ryan nodded and looked at Colleen, who looked just as troubled as him.

What were they doing? This was a species that was completely peaceful! Never in his life had he heard an Aenar pick a fight, and here they were just opening fire on them.

"_Firing torpedo two!_" the computer said. Ryan felt his heart clench as another torpedo went toward the ship. He took a deep breath and looked at Griffin, who seemed completely unaffected by the situation. Rupert walked over to Ryan and looked him in the eyes. He saw a sadness and an uncertainty that he felt, along with utter confusion at the situation.

"_Firing torpedo three!"_ the words seemed to physically strike him. He looked back up to Griffin, who looked down at him. Their eyes met and he only had one question. _Why? _

"_Enemy ship destroyed."_

"Good job everybody! We did well today!" Griffin called out. There was a wave of weak cheering, but most of the engineers seemed upset. Ryan looked over at Dom, who was congratulating a few upset engineers.

"We got rid of a threat to the Federation. You guys should be happy," he told them. They gave him a weak smile and walked away. Griffin walked down to where Rupert, Colleen, and Ryan were.

"Good job, guys," he said, giving Ryan a pat on the back. Ryan shook Griffin's hand off. He couldn't feel good about the job he just did. Griffin looked around at the sad faces around him. "Why does everyone look like their dog just died?"

"Griffin, don't- " Colleen pleaded, but Ryan put a hand on her shoulder. He knew what they just did was wrong and he wasn't going to hold his tongue anymore.

"They didn't even fire back. They did even try to defend themselves. You know why? That ship wasn't armed! Griffin, we just destroyed an unarmed ship and took hundreds of innocent lives!" Many of the other engineers looked up, having heard something shout their very thoughts. Dom glared while Rupert nodded. Colleen bit her tongue, not wanting to make the situation worse. Oliver in the corner holding a conversation with an empty torpedo shell. "And Mr. Ruffles told me…" But no one really paid much attention to Oliver.

"Ryan, come with me," Griffin snapped, grabbing Ryan's arm. He dragged him out of the engineering deck and into the hallway.

"What? How can you justify what we just did?" Ryan spat, pulling his arm out of Griffin's grip. Griffin glared down at Ryan.

"Ryan, you're my best friend, but you're a Ensign. It isn't your place to question Captain Shay's orders. And as your friend, I'm going to give you a piece of advice, don't ask questions," he said with a warning tone, but Ryan wouldn't listen.

"That's what everyone keeps saying, but what we just did was wrong. That was an unarmed ship of a peaceful race of people!" Ryan shouted, shoving Griffin into a wall. Griffin shot forward and grabbed Ryan by the collar.

"It was a cover! We received some reports on an Aenar ship planning to attack the Federation. This attack has been debated for the past month. We weren't going to do anything until we were sure. We know what we're doing, Ryan, and you need to trust us. I'm your friend and I would never lead you astray," Griffin told him, giving him a rough shake. Ryan said nothing as Griffin let him go.

"It still feels wrong," he said, straightening out his shirt. Griffin nodded.

"Killing people always does, but think of how many lives we're saving. What if they planned on attacking the _Enterprise_? Your sister could have been in danger. You're protecting her." Ryan paused to think it over. He ran a hand through his hair and looked down.

"Griffin… I can't. I just… this isn't right," he muttered. Griffin sighed and pressed his lips together.

"Ryan, just… don't worry about it." Griffin told him. There was a silence between them before Griffin walked away, leaving him alone. Ryan let his head rest against the wall and look up at the fluorescent light. He wished his sister was here. Then maybe he wouldn't feel so alone.

* * *

"Ryan, you alright?" Ryan looked up from his dinner tray into Colleens green eyes. He shook his head and she sat down next to him. He knew she had nothing to say, and he honestly had nothing to hear.

"You're not eating with Griffin?" Rupert asked, sitting across from him. Ryan shook his head and glanced at his normal table, where he saw Harry and Paul get into yet another fight. Liam was sitting with them, yet seemed very distant, almost as if he was lost. Griffin sat across from them, laughing at their friend's fighting and acting like the previous battle didn't happen.

"Why not? I thought Griffin was your best friend?" Oliver asked, sitting next to Rupert and shooting Colleen a wink. She rolled her eyes and looked back to Ryan.

"He's sure not acting friendly," Ryan whispered. Rupert and Colleen looked at each other, then looked back to Ryan.

"You sure you're alright dude?" Rupert asked. Ryan stood up straight and pushed his tray away.

"No, nothing feels right anymore. I just witnessed the murder of over three hundred Aenars, and got chewed out by my best friend." Oliver frowned at his sandwich.

"Man, I hate bologna, it always has to argue with me." The group watched Oliver begin to glare at his sandwich, while throwing some pretty nasty insults at it, before turning back to their previous conversation.

"I don't like it any better than you do, but there is nothing we can really do about it," Rupert told him. Colleen nodded.

"Maybe if you tried to talk to someone outside the ship about it, you'd feel better," she suggested. Rupert nodded.

"Yeah, try calling Claire, I'm sure she'll help you out a bunch." Colleen raised an eyebrow, this was the first time she heard anyone by the name of Claire.

"Oh, who is Claire?" she asked. Rupert raised an eyebrow, picking up the hint of jealousy in her voice. Ryan seemed to not catch it and answered her question.

"She's my sister. I already tried to call her, the _Berlin_ isn't letting any messages or calls in or out," Ryan told them. The group exchanged looks of confusion.

"Why would they do that?" Colleen asked. Rupert shrugged.

"I don't know, that's really weird." There was a very brief silence among the table.

"WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER ME!" Oliver screamed, causing a few tables in the cafeteria to glance over. One of those tables was Griffin's and he looked over to see Ryan eating with the night shift engineers.

"God damnit, Oliver. Why do you have to attract so much damn attention?" Ryan whispered furiously at Oliver. Oliver held up his sandwich angrily.

"Oscar Mayer wouldn't answer me…"

"Oliver, it's a sandwich," Rupert told him, but Oliver slammed his sandwich down on his plate and pointed a finger at Rupert.

"You're racist!"

"Has anybody been keeping track of his meds?" Rupert asked Colleen and Ryan, but they just shook their heads.

"Hey Ryan, it's a bit lonely without you eating with us." A voice said from over Ryan's shoulder. His hold body became tense as the man causing him so much stressed put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Ryan wanted to pick up his tray, turned around, and smack Griffin right across the face with it, but he knew it wouldn't bring back those 300 lives. Griffin was just following orders anyway.

"I just figured I would try something new," he mumbled back. Griffin nodded and removed his hand, knowing the confusion that Ryan was going through.

"Okay, well, come see me when dinner's over," he offered, trying to sound friendly and welcoming.

"Alright," Ryan replied without looking at Griffin. Colleen shot him a look of sympathy as Griffin headed back over to his table.

* * *

Ryan had secretly hoped the Griffin would just leave him alone and not bother him, but he knew better. As soon as he was out of the cafeteria and onto the lift he saw Griffin had followed him and gotten onto the lift with him. Ryan simply looked down and let his eyes memorize the designs in the metal floor. After a minute Griffin stopped the lift and turned toward him.

"Ryan…" he said. Ryan looked up and his grey eyes met his friends icy blue. He looked back down and closed his eyes, not wanting to hear what his friend was going to try and convince him. It wasn't right, he knew it, half the crew knew it, yet Griffin was standing here trying to convince him otherwise. He hated it.

"I know you're confused, I would be too. I mean, spending your whole life thinking there isn't anything wrong, that everything is just sunshine and daisies. It's weird to come onto a ship and see things like this. But you have to realize that out here in space… things are different. There are species out there that won't think twice before killing you, or worse. We're just protecting our people, Ryan." Ryan looked to the door and whished he hadn't stopped the lift.

"It doesn't feel right, to just fire on a ship without them even firing back. It's not right Griffin," Griffin frowned.

"That ship was a threat to us, and Starfleet. Just because it didn't have a chance to fire back doesn't mean that it wouldn't have. Any other ship would have done the same. We're just doing what Starfleet would've ordered us to do." Ryan took a step back and lightly let his fist fall on the wall. None of this made sense. He was confused, and had no one to talk about it with. He was so mad that they weren't letting him call Claire, he just needed to talk to her, even for just a second.

"If that's true Griffin, then why aren't you letting any messages or calls be sent out to Starfleet, or any other ship?" he asked. Griffin paused, at lost for words.

"Ryan…" He warned, but Ryan wouldn't let it go.

"I just want to call my sister and rant. Is that such a bad thing?" Griffin took a step forward as Ryan tried to move as far back as he could. He had a sick feeling in his gut that just wouldn't leave him alone.

"Ryan, despite how you might feel right now, I'm your friend. You can talk to me. I know that things are hard and confusing, but you have to trust me." Ryan nodded, but the sick feeling just wouldn't go away. Griffin nodded back, realizing that there was nothing more he could say to make the Ensign feel better. Griffin sighed and hit the button to make the elevator resume its course. Before they reached the engineering deck, the lift stopped. The doors opened up to reveal none other than Captain Shay. The Captain smiled at Griffin and Ryan, his perfect white teeth shining in the fluorescent lights. Ryan felt uneasy as he noticed the contrast between the Captain's smile and his askew attire. The Captain's outfit was winkled and slightly lopsided while his normally slicked back platinum blonde hair was greasy and stuck out all over the place. His chocolate brown eyes seemed tired and boarded on something that Ryan just couldn't explain. The Captain stepped into the elevator and placed a hand on Griffin's shoulder.

"I'm glad I ran into you, Griff. We're having another meeting tonight. The Federation has asked us to carry out another mission." Griffin nodded and smiled.

"Shay, this is Ryan." Shay turned Ryan and gave him a nod.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ryan. I heard you did some good work today. I'm glad we have good men aboard like you for when we blow up the Klingon exile planet tomorrow." The Captain told him. Ryan didn't want to appear rude, but he couldn't help his jaw practically hitting the floor.

"What? We're killing a planet of Klingons tomorrow?" He asked in disbelief. Shay nodded.

"We haven't fully discussed it yet, but yes. Klingons are our enemy anyway so it seems only right to start taking them out with those in exile first. We live in harsh times, Ryan. We need to destroy these races making trouble before they have the chance to destroy us first." Griffin noticed Ryan's unsteady look and glanced back at the captain.

"No need to scare him Richard, he's still young." Richard Shay nodded and smiled at the young man.

"You'll get used to it, hang in there Ensign," Shay said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Ryan smiled politely, but it was very forced, and he was sure he wouldn't be able to keep it there. The lift stopped once more and Captain Shay smiled at Griffin.

"I'll see you later Griffin. Ensign, nice meeting you," Ryan nodded his head and looked back at Griffin, who smiled at the captain. When the lift started again, Griffin glanced over at his friend, who looked very lost.

"We're doing what is best for the universe, Ryan… you'll see it soon enough." Griffin said before exiting the lift when it stopped. Ryan watched as the doors closed then glared at the wall in front of him.

"What's best for the universe… yeah right," he said softly.

* * *

Ryan looked up from his work as he saw Colleen sit across from him. Her face seemed just as troubled as him, but she seemed to be a little more in control of her emotions. Ryan, on the other hand, looked as though he was about to break down in a fit. She placed a hand on his arm and offered him a small smile.

"Everything is going to be alright," she told him. He put down the small machine part he was fixing and look at her.

"We just watched our commanding officers commit murder, and we did nothing to stop them. Now we're just going to do the same thing when it comes to a Klingon planet? How is everything going to be alright?" he asked. She frowned and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know… maybe it won't. I just… I don't want to feel like this anymore," she confessed. Ryan placed his hand on hers and gave it a friendly squeeze.

"Saying it will be alright won't help it, Colleen." She nodded.

"I know, I know. This just sucks," she muttered. Ryan let go of her hand and continued to work on the small part he was before.

"I don't like this… not one bit," he said. Dom sat next to him and shot him a look.

"Don't ask questions, that's the best thing you could do," he said, getting started on his own work. For a moment Ryan was silent.

"You know what, no. I'm going to ask questions. I'm going to do what I think is right. This is wrong. How many innocent people did we kill today? And tomorrow? We're going to end up starting a war with the Klingons! How can any of that be good?" Ryan screamed. Colleen rose from her own seat to pull Ryan back down. Dom just glared at him.

"It's not your job to question what we do. It's your job as a Starfleet officer to follow the orders of higher ranked officers," he told him, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"This is ridiculous, I can't take this anymore!" Ryan yelled, standing up again.

"Ryan…" Colleen warned, but Ryan refused to pay any attention to her.

"No, Colleen. I can't stay silent anymore," he said, glaring down at Dom. He opened his mouth to say something else, but a hand pulled him back. Ryan whirled around to face Griffin. Griffin glared down at him, having a few inches of height to his advantage. It was then that Ryan realized that all the other engineers in the room were staring at him. Some looked as if they were happy with what he was saying, while others were glaring at him angrily.

"Ryan, I'm relieving you of duty tonight. You can resume work tomorrow morning. We're going to need you tomorrow when we go after the Klingon bastards." Ryan's mouth pulled into a tight line as he looked up at his friend. They glared at each other before Ryan walked back him.

"Fine," he hissed. Colleen watched as he walked out of engineering. She looked over at Griffin, who had his icy glare fixed on her before she turned around and began working on the broken part. When Griffin turned away, Dom shook his head.

"That's what he get's," he muttered. Colleen threw nasty glare his way then glared down at the part.

"Shut up, Dom. Just… shut up."

* * *

"Ryan, I need you over here!" Ryan looked up to where Griffin was standing and begrudgingly nodded. He passed Colleen, who shot him a sympathetic look before turning back to her work. Ryan made his way to where Griffin was standing and looked down.

"Sir," he muttered.

"You're going to monitor everything that goes on. You'll help answer calls from other decks, you'll see how a chief engineer works." Ryan nodded and relieved the assistant officer. He sat down on the tall stool and began to work, his movements less than enthusiastic.

"_Bridge to engineering," _a voice sounded. Ryan looked up at Griffin who pressed a button.

"Engineering," Griffin responded.

"_We're in front of the Klingon planet, get ready to fire phasers and torpedoes on my mark,"_ the captain's voice sounded.

"Understood," Griffin said. He then turned to Ryan. "Alert the torpedo bay to be ready to fire." Ryan paused for a second before turning back to his computer and alerting the torpedo bay. Griffin placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"Good job," he told him. Ryan said nothing as the picture of the planet came on screen and his eyes went wide.

"What's this?" he asked.

"This is for the Chief to see what he's up against. That way we know what to expect when we get hit," Griffin told him. Ryan looked back to the screen and his face paled. He was going to see the destruction of this planet. He was going to see his own ship kill hundreds of people, and he couldn't do anything about it.

"Sir… I don't think-"

"You are ordered to be at this post, Ensign. Not only by me, your commanding officer, but by your captain. You are going t sit there and do as you're told. Is that understood?" Ryan clenched his teeth together and nodded. "What was that there?"

"Yes, sir," he said through clenched teeth. Griffin nodded. Before anything else could happen, red alarm lights started blaring throughout the deck. The ship gave a sudden lurch and Ryan was thrown from his seat, not expecting the sudden movement. Griffin grabbed on a pipe to support himself.

"What's going on?" He asked his communicator as the ship jerked again.

"_We've been intercepted by another Federation ship. They've caught us in their tractor beam and are pulling us away from the planet."_ The Captain's voice said from over Griffin's communicator. Griffin sighed.

"So what are we going to do?" Griffin asked as Ryan looked up at him.

"This mission wasn't cleared by Starfleet, was it?" He asked, his face going pale. Other engineers stopped what they were doing to look at Griffin who paled as well. Colleen ran to Ryan's side and helped him off the floor.

"_This ship is interfering with our mission. We have no choice, but to engage them in battle."_ The Captain said over the communicator. Silence filled the engineering deck.

"W-What did he just say?" Colleen asked as she held onto Ryan's arm. Griffin put his communicator away and turned to all of the engineers.

"You heard Captain Shay, get into your positions." Most of the engineers went back to work, but a few didn't budge. Rupert was in the corner trying to remove Oliver who was caught in a vent, trying to save a princess from a dragon.

"This is not the time, Oliver!" Rupert scolded as he yanked at the younger boys arms.

"I WON'T LET SONIA DOWN!" Oliver cried out.

"I won't repeat myself again. All of you get to your positions now!" Griffin yelled, forcing the other engineers to return to their posts. Colleen let go off Ryan's arm and returned to her station with a look of fear, but Ryan didn't move.

"No," he said, glaring up at Griffin. His stony grey eyes were filled with rage. Griffin sighed and reached into his pocket.

"There is no room on this ship for rebels, Conaway," Griffin said in a monotone voice as he pulled out his phaser and shot at Ryan. Ryan flew back into the wall and hit the ground, stunned and confused. A small trail of blood fell down Ryan's face from where his head hit the wall. A moment later, he lost consciousness.

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

_**Jeck:** DUM DUM DUM! CLIFFY  
__**Raxsah:** Yeah, a cliffhanger is fun every now and then. You know what is even funner? Reviews. They are so fun, they brighten up the day!  
__**Jeck:** So do light bulbs.  
__**Raxsah:** What's your point?  
__**Jeck:** There's a point? I just roll with the punches. :D  
__**Raxsah:** Anyway, hope you liked the chapter. Hopefully we will have another chapter up next week. We're a little busy next week though so it's iffy.  
__**Jeck:** Yeah, but we'll see what we can do. We're magic, bitches.  
__**Raxsah:** Right, so leave a review and show some love. Hopefully we'll see you sometime next week. Not that we're actually going to see you… but you get my drift.  
__**Jeck:** Well, I mean if they're using Alex's secret stalker system that hasn't been mentioned since sophomore year… then yes, they might see us. They might also watch us in the shower… or masturbate, like Jesus does.  
__**Raxsah:** … You scare me sometimes…  
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__**Raxsah:** Or puppies. Anyway, this has gone on long enough. R & R!!!_


	4. Dead On Arrival

_**Jeck: **__Hey hey hey hey hey hey… GUESS WHAT?  
__**Raxsah: **__You got laid?  
__**Jeck: **__Well… no… unless that's an offer? :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Well… NO. No offense, but let's wait for senior week for that. ;P  
__**Jeck: **__Mmmm… will do! But no, that's not it. Tomorrow is Saint Patty's Day! Oh… AND WE'RE BACK!  
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__**Jeck: **__We share everything. Men would not be one of them since only one of us likes men. But the germs, we're all over that. We can't help our love!  
__**Raxsah: **__Sometimes you make me wonder if you're on crack… Anyway, we enjoyed the couple of reviews we received. If you left a lengthy one We will reply to it at the bottom. Please feel free to give us more. They make us happy.  
__**Jeck: **__That's not the only thing that makes you happy… puppies and kittens do too! :D And me, I make you happy like an orgasm makes a hooker happy! :D  
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__**Raxsah: **__Be nice. Enjoy the story!_

* * *

Chapter 4; Dead On Arrival

* * *

"_Attention all members of the Enterprise, this is your Captain speaking. We just reached a distress called from the U.S.S. Mercury. They are currently under attack by a rouge Starfleet ship. We're the closest ship to them, so we're going to go help them. We expect to arrive in fifteen minutes." _

"A rouge ship?" Alex asked, Claire looked up from her patient and frowned.

"You think it'll be bad?" she asked. Alex shrugged.

"I don't know… we'll just have to wait and see." Just then the Chief Medical Officer walked up to them.

"Doctor McCoy, do you know what's going on?" Pam asked. McCoy raised an eyebrow at her, but looked at Alex and Claire.

"No, and don't ask me. You two, go get a few beds ready and get extra supplies… it's going to get real messy around here pretty soon." Claire and Alex began to get everything together when the Captain walked in.

"Bones, there you are." Doctor McCoy rolled his eyes.

"Doctor Conaway, if you are anywhere within eyesight of Captain Kirk, I'll make sure you are on graveyard shift for the next two weeks," McCoy said, not even looking up from his patient charts. There was the sound of someone dropping something then the closing of a supply closet door, along with Alex's laughter.

"Why did you go and do that Bones?" Jim said, frowning a little.

"You damn well know why I did that. You need to control your damn hormones." Jim rolled his eyes and watched as Alex walked over to the supply closet and open the door, causing Claire to glare at him. He saw then whisper to each other, and saw a wicked smile erupt on Alex's lips while Claire turned bright red.

"What's up with those two?"

"Jesus, Jim… we are about to head into battle, and the only thing you can think about is what you're wannabe flavor of the month is doing with another man? What the hell is wrong with you?" Jim rolled his eyes.

"Come on Bones, give me the scoop." McCoy glared at him and slammed the patient chart down on his desk.

"I don't know what the hell is going on, I'm too busy working to pay attention to that kind of bull. Jesus," McCoy muttered.

"Maybe you should get laid Bones, you're getting a little antsy." McCoy crossed his arms.

"It's not my business what goes on between my doctors and their boyfriend, girlfriend… whatever. Now get out of my sickbay and go do your job." Jim's eyebrows rose.

"Boyfriend? Really?" he glanced back at Clair and Alex, who were still talking in hushed tones.

"Jim, get out before I give you another hypo spray, and I won't give you the vaccine either. I'll make you go through the whole damn thing. Now get out!" Jim frowned and turned around.

"You're no fun," Jim said, leaving sickbay. After a minute McCoy picked up his charts.

"Conaway, he's gone. Get back to work!" he shouted. Claire made her way out of the closet, Alex right behind her.

"You know he's going to come back… right?" Alex whispered.

"Shut up! I'll stop giving you my pudding if you bail on me," Alex frowned.

"That's just mean," She rolled her eyes.

"Both of you, get back to work." McCoy snapped.

"Sorry Doctor McCoy," Claire muttered, getting out a few supplies.

* * *

"Good to see that you're doing okay, Conaway." Ryan opened his eyes to see the emotionless blue eyes of his former best friend.

"Ugh, what happened?" He asked, slowly rising from his bed. He looked around and realized that he was in the _Berlin's_ sickbay.

"I was forced to take evasive action so that Captain Shay's orders could be carried out." Griffin explained as a doctor came over to check Ryan's vitals.

"What?" He asked, clearly not understanding Griffin's words.

"Please calm down, Mr. Conaway," the nurse asked as she tried to force him to lie back down, but Ryan refused.

"I needed to knock you out so we could destroy the ship." Griffin rephrased, causing Ryan to push the nurse away and jump to his feet.

"WHAT?"

"Keep your voice down, Ryan." Griffin said, trying to help the nurse push Ryan back onto the bed.

"You destroyed the Federation ship?"

"Yes, ten minutes ago. The _U.S.S. Mercury_ turned out to be a rouge ship and-" But Ryan cut him off and shoved Griffin over the patient's bed next to his.

"That's bullshit!" Ryan cried out, pushing the nurse away who kept trying to keep him calm. Griffin rose from the floor and glared at Ryan.

"Ryan, please…" Ryan checked his belt for his phaser, which appeared to have been removed. Without a second thought, he slid across the patient's bed and grabbed Griffin's phaser instead. He pointed it at Griffin and the nurse as he backed up to the entrance of sickbay.

"No, I have to do something!" He cried out as he took off in a mad dash. There was no time to lose. Obviously, Captain Shay couldn't be trusted, but Ryan knew people who could. He had to do something. He could hear footsteps behind him, but didn't turn around. A phaser shot was fired and just barely missed his head, so he increased his speed. He was thankful that he'd decided to do track during high school. Another shot was fired, but was far off course, giving Ryan a chance to turn a corner and burst into the main dining hall. The hall was filled with other officers who all turned to look as another shot whirled past Ryan's head.

"Everyone listen to me!" Ryan cried out as he jumped onto a table that a few medical personal were sitting at.

"Ryan, what the hell are you doing?" Rupert hissed.

"You all know this is wrong, you all know that destroying that ship was complete bullshit! It all started with us attacking that Aenar ship! You honestly think that they were going to attack us?" he snapped.

"Ryan, get down now!" Griffin hissed. Ryan turned toward him.

"Or what? You're going to shoot me? In front of the whole crew?" Griffin glared at him.

"Ryan…" he snapped. Ryan turned back to the crew.

"Going after that Klingon planet was wrong, and destroying that Starfleet ship was wrong. This is not what we came into space for. We came into space so we could make a difference, and this isn't a way to do it. The _U.S.S. Mercury_ wasn't the rouge ship, we are!" Ryan called. He saw half the crew glare at him, while the other half shifted uncontrollably.

"That's enough, Ensign Conaway," a voice sounded. Ryan turned around to see Captain Shay himself holding a phaser up to him, and it wasn't set to stun. Ryan glared at him and dropped the phaser to the ground. Griffin walked up and grabbed it, shaking his head at his friend.

"You should've left it alone," he hissed. Ryan frowned as he jumped off the table and watched a few security personnel walk up to him.

"You should've gotten rid of him when you had the chance," Paul whispered to Griffin. Ryan glared at Griffin before he turned to Captain Shay, who was walking up to him.

"You can't throw me in the brig, I have done nothing wrong," Ryan snapped.

"Starting a mutiny and disobeying your commanding officer, that's enough to send you into the brig," Shay said.

"And what about you? Firing on an unarmed ship of a peaceful race, and destroying a federation ship… what does that land you in? Sounds like a court-martial to me." Shay looked at him for a moment before using the bottom of his phaser and smacking him across the face, causing a few people to hiss with their own pain.

"Be silent Ensign, before the brig is the worst of your problems…" he snapped. There was a silence in the room before a voice broke through.

"_Bridge to Captain Shay."_

"Captain Shay here…" Ryan continued to glare at him, ignoring the look Griffin was now giving him.

"_Sir we have reports that another federation ship is heading our way,"_ the voice said.

"What ship?" Captain Shay asked.

"_The _U.S.S. Enterprise_, Sir." _There was a collective pause and Ryan's eyes went wide. A few of the commanding officers exchanged looks before Captain Shay spoke.

"Well then, get us out of here. The last thing I need is to deal with that arrogant, son of a bitch, Kirk again," Shay muttered .The security officers holding Ryan tugged on his arms and tried to lead him away when a voice spoke up.

"You can't do this!" The voice cried. Everyone turned to see Liam standing up from where he was.

"Might as well take that one too," Shay said, but a few more members of the crew stood up.

"If you take them, then you'll have to take me too," Colleen said. Rupert stood up as well, grabbing Oliver by his collar and forcing him to stand as well. Pretty soon, half of the members of the ship in the dining hall were standing as well.

"What is this, a mutiny?" Griffin asked angrily as Paul and Harry pulled out their phasers.

"I do believe it is, Mr. Patterson," Ryan said to him as all the crew started pulling out their phasers. Before Griffin could say another word, phaser blasts began ricocheting off the walls of the dining hall. Those who were unarmed began charging at those who were trying to defend Captain Shay's orders. Liam fired his phaser at Harry, but just barely missed. Harry elbowed a medical Ensign in the face as he held up his own phaser and fired multiple shots at Liam.

"I'll kill you, queer!" Harry shouted angrily. Paul went to help Harry, but Colleen jumped in front him, her own phaser out.

"You're too pretty to shot, princess," he told her, lowering his phaser slightly. She smiled at him, winked, and fired a shot at him.

"You're too stupid to live," she muttered as she ran to help Liam. Rupert had his hands full with Dom who fired his phaser, hitting him in the shudder. Rupert cried out in pain as the flesh on his shoulder slowly began to burn away.

"Take it like the Brit you are," Dom muttered as he prepared to fire on Rupert again. Before he could, a person flung himself on Dom. Dom's head hit a chair on the way down and he became unconscious. Oliver stood up probably and smiled at Rupert.

"Mr. Ruffles and I are swinging from the lights!" Oliver said happily as he motioned to grab a hand beside him that wasn't there.

"This has to be the one time that I'm happy that you're not taking your meds," Rupert breathed out as the pain in his shoulder intensified. The dining hall was completely chaos as Ryan looked at Griffin, who held two phasers in his hands.

"Look what you've done! You've ruined everything!" Griffin yelled furiously. Ryan crossed his arms and glared.

"You knew it was wrong. What good what it have done?" Ryan shot and Griffin tossed a phaser at Ryan, his anger getting the better of him. The phaser struck Ryan in the head, who was already bleeding from all of his former wounds that day.

"It would have started a war throughout the galaxy. The Federation would have easily won and then we would be the dominant race of the universe," he shouted, practically pulling his hair out. He started towards Ryan, flipping stray chairs that were in his way trying to get to him. Phaser shots continued to fly through the air and loud screams follow. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Harry punch Colleen in the face. As the blood poured down her face, Ryan saw red. How could these monsters do these things to their own shipmates?

"You're wrong, Griffin. We're here to do good and keep peace. You're way out of line," Ryan said as his eyes shot to the phaser that now lay by his feet. He dropped down, grabbed it, and rolled to the side as Griffin fired as shot at him. Ryan sprang to his feet and fired a shot at Griffin, knocking the phaser out of his hands. He cried out in pain as the skin on his hand began to burn and sizzle.

"I'm unarmed, what are you going to do? Attack me like we attacked that ship today? You're not better than we are!" Griffin cried out, holding his hand as the pain intensified. Ryan dropped his phaser to the floor and walked up to Griffin.

"No," he said simply and punched him in the face. Ryan felt bones crack under his knuckles, but said nothing as Griffin fall back onto the floor. Part of him was dying instead, hurting his friend like he was, but his morals were stronger than his friendship with Griffin. He joined Starfleet for a reason, to do good and he sure as hell was going to do it.

"Ryan! Shay is getting away!" Colleen screamed. Ryan picked up a phaser and ran out of the cafeteria. He followed Shay to the lift, giving a frustrated groan when the doors shut before he could get to him.

"Computer… where is Captain Shay heading?" he asked.

_"Captain Shay is heading to the bridge."_ Ryan gave a heavy sigh and ran toward the next lift. Shay wasn't getting away so easily, not if he had anything to say about it. He entered the lift and heard the sound of a torpedo firing from the torpedo bay. He accessed the computer and saw that the _Berlin_ hadn't been able to get out before the _Enterprise_ showed up, and was now attacking them. Ryan ran out onto the bridge as soon as the doors opened, taking out two security officers in the process.

"Give up, Shay." Captain Shay turned around, a phaser of his own in hand.

"What are you going to do? Shoot me?" Ryan glared.

"Don't tempt me," he hissed. "The _Enterprise _will destroy this ship before you even have a chance to fire."

"Kirk is a fool, he is no match for me. Stand down Ensign… you are wasting your time." Ryan shot the ground in front of Captain Shay, then aimed it right back up.

"Sir, I'm asking you to put down your weapon, or I will fire." Shay held his weapon up and smirked evilly.

"Do your worst," he hissed. Aiming for Ryan's chest and firing.

* * *

"Claire! I need help!" Alex called, trying to calm down a patient. Claire looked over before she gave her own patient a sedative. She ran over and helped Alex hold down a man who was screaming at the top of his lungs.

"NO! THEY'RE GOING TO GET US! FIRE! FIRE!" His arm slipped from one of the nurse's hands and his fist landed right across Claire's eye, causing her to fall to the ground.

"Jesus, you alright?" Alex asked. She nodded and grabbed a sedative, stabbing it in the man's leg and backing up before he could kick her. When he finally laid limp Alex walked up to her.

"I'm fine," she said. Alex inspected her face before shaking his head.

"You ever hear of ducking?" she pushed him away.

"Shut up! You're an ass," she muttered. She surveyed the remaining crew from the _U.S.S. Mercury._ There was a grand total of seven people, two of which were currently stable, three were in critical, and the other two were sedated to avoid any more injuries to themselves. She ran a hand through her hair and shook her head at the amount of survivors.

"Who would do this?" she asked softly.

"A rouge ship, that's who," Alex muttered, handing her a ice pack. She placed it on her eye, but she felt it was useless, she would still have a black eye either way.

"Yeah… but… which ship? Do we even know?" she asked. Alex shook his head.

"No, not yet." Claire threw the ice pack aside shook her head. Alex simply frowned and patted her shoulder.

"_Captain to sickbay, prepare to receive survivors and injured prisoners from the U.S.S. Berlin_," The whole sickbay became silent, and Claire froze. Before she could even comprehend what was going on she saw Alex go to the computer and read something over. She turned to him and waited as he gave her the answer she dreaded to hear.

"Claire… the rouge ship, it… it's the _Berlin,_" he told her. She felt her heart stop as she held onto the counter of the Medical station.

"No…" she whispered.

"Claire…" Alex began, but he was cut off by Doctor McCoy.

"Conaway, there are a few people injured in Shuttle bay 6, go and make sure they are alright." Claire stood straight and furrowed her eyebrows.

"What?" McCoy stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"You damn well heard me, go do your job!" he snapped.

"But sir, the _Berlin _is the ship my brother is stationed on," she told him.

"I don't care, you are required to go to shuttle bay six, and I don't want to hear any protests." Alex stepped forward.

"Sir, I'll go down to the shuttle bay," he offered. McCoy fixed him with a nasty glare and stepped toward Claire, getting right in her face.

"Listen Conaway, around here I make the rules, and you're probably not going to like them half the time. You know what, I don't care. You will have to do a lot of things you don't like in life, but you are going to do them anyway. Is that clear?"

"Sir, my-"

"Doctor Conaway, you either do what you are told, or I will personally make sure you never set foot out of a brig so long as you are still in Starfleet." Claire's stony grey eyes clashed with his hard brown, and it looked like they mentally battled it out before Claire took a step back.

"Yes sir," she replied, her voice breaking just a little. McCoy nodded before walking off to a patient. Claire grabbed a travel medical kit and turned to Alex. She didn't have to say anything before he spoke.

"I'll look out for him, but if I find him, you owe me you're dessert for the next four days," he told her.

"Hell, you find my brother and make sure he isn't dead, you can have my dessert for the next two weeks," she told him, walking past him and out to the shuttle bay. Alex went to go back to his patient when McCoy grabbed the collar of his shirt.

"You are going to the _Berlin_ with the away team," he said. Alex nodded.

"Uh, yes sir…" they paused for a second before McCoy spoke once more.

"Well, get moving!" Alex jumped.

"Yes sir!"

* * *

"Does that hurt, Ensign?" Captain Shay sneered as he stood over Ryan. Ryan's chest was bleeding profusely through his red engineer shirt. His hand was trying to cover the wound, but his body was already going into a state of shock.

"S-Shay..." Ryan stuttered as he began shaking from the blood loss. Captain Shay leaned down and slapped the phaser out of Ryan's hand.

"You've messed up everything and now I'm going to watch you die a slow and painful-" Ryan was surprised to see a light shot over his head and hit Captain Shay in the chest, sending him flying back and over the railing in the bridge. Ryan glanced behind him to see none other than Captain Kirk standing in the doorway of the lift. A phaser was held in his hand.

"Security, arrest former Captain Richard Shay and get this fine young man to the Enterprise. We've got a riot to go straighten out." A few officers exited the lift from behind Kirk. Two men ran over the Shay while one young officer ran over to Ryan.

"Are you okay, Ensign?" He asked, checking Ryan's vitals. Ryan weakly nodded and his Stony eyes met a pair of hazel. A closer look at his uniform he saw he was a doctor, though he must have been from the _Enterprise_, because he didn't recognize him.

"Ensign, I'm Doctor Chambers… tell me your name," he said. Chambers, that sounded familiar. Where the hell had he heard that name before. "Ensign, answer," he snapped, his voice a little harsher.

"Ryan… Ryan…" he began to cough and let his head fall back on the floor.

Alex glanced down at the Ensign in front of him. Ryan? No… it couldn't be. He grabbed the Ensign's head and looked him in the eye. The grey eyes were unmistakably similar, but he had to get the last name.

"Your last name, Ensign… I need to know you're last name," Alex told him. Ryan took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Conaway," he whispered, passing out. Alex paused before he realized that he had passed out.

"Shit," he hissed as he began to put pressure on the wound.

"Captain, I need to get him to the _Enterprise_ now!" Alex shouted. Kirk turned around and walked over to him, watching as the young doctor began to try and patch up the large wound.

"Uh, I'm not a doctor, but it doesn't look like he's going to make it," Kirk said sadly. Alex shook his head and checked for a pulse, frowning when he felt it slow down.

"No, damn it! If I bring him back dead she is going to kill me, or worse… never give me her pudding!" Kirk raised an eyebrow.

"Who?" he asked. Alex gave a frustrated sigh.

"CLAIRE! If I bring her brother back dead, I'll be dead! And I want to get laid at least one more time before I'm dead!" Alex hissed. Kirk looked down at the young Ensign, recognizing his face almost immediately. He pulled out his communicator and contacted the _Enterprise._

"Scotty, I need you to transport Doctor Chambers, and Ensign Conaway to sickbay immediately," he ordered.

"_Right away Captain,"_ Scotty replied. Alex felt as if his body was getting lighter, and the next minute he was on the floor of the _Enterprise _sickbay. McCoy walked over to him and crossed his arms.

"Chambers, what the hell do you think you are doing?" Alex got a few nurses to pick Ryan up and place him on a medical table.

"I'm saving my patient," he snapped. McCoy walked over and looked at the wound. It was pretty deep, and there had been a lot of blood loss. He would be lucky if the patient made the night.

"Chambers… this patient-"

"Is Claire's brother! I can't lose her brother sir," Alex replied as he began to repair the wound. McCoy was about to argue, but the look of determination on his face was enough to leave him alone. Hopefully the young doctor would get lucky. If not… he would rather not think about it.

* * *

Claire looked around as she saw more people pile into Shuttle bay 2. She was supposed to be back in sickbay two hours ago, but was forced to help the flood of _Berlin_ survivors. They were all stuffed into shuttle bay 2, and she was stuck with most of the work. She finished healing the wound on one man, before she turned to see a small group of huddled together. Two were men, one was dressed in red, the other yellow. And next to them sat a woman, also wearing red, and her uniform maybe even shorter than her own. She walked up to them and kneeled in front of the first guy.

"Hi," she said, the three of them looked at her. The guy in front of her had a pretty bad shoulder injury.

"It's not that bad," he said, his British accent cutting right through. She offered a kind smile and pulled away his shirt.

"Okay, well… bad or not, I'm going to take care of it… alright?" the man rolled his eyes and looked at the other two, who were watching her carefully.

"Fine, whatever you say, love." Claire flinched at his substitute for her name and looked up at him.

"It's Claire, but you can call my Doctor Conaway," she told them. An awkward silence filled the room as the three people from the _Berlin_ exchanged looks. "Um, is there a problem?" She asked, noticing the looks.

"We know your brother," the woman informed her. Her face covered in dried blood with a few nicks on her face. Judging by the odd angle her nose was bent, Claire figured the woman's nose was broken. At the mention of her brother, Claire froze.

"W-What? You know Ryan? Is he okay? Where is he?" She asked, her voice going from curious to panicked and worried. The woman rubbed her arm awkwardly as the man in the yellow shirt stood up next to her and rubbed her shoulder in support.

"We don't really know where he is. The last time we saw him, he was beating the crap out of Griffin in the dining hall before he took off after Captain Shay," the man explained. Claire began to shake and grabbed onto a gurney for support. The British man stood up and helped Claire take a seat.

"We understand this is probably really hard for you, Claire. Your brother never stopped talking about you and what an amazing person you are. He loves you so much, you must understand. It was thanks to him that the _Berlin_ was stopped before blowing up the Klingon exile planet and before it attacked the _Enterprise_," he explained, rubbing a soothing hand on her back. Claire couldn't control the tears that began pouring down her face at the logical fact that her brother could be in a lot of danger right now.

"My name is Liam," the man in the yellow shirt said as he kneeled down to be eye level with her. "That's Rupert and over there is Colleen. We've gotten to know Ryan pretty well in the past month and if I know one thing, it's that Ryan would not let anything happen to himself without getting the chance to see you again," Liam explained. Claire nodded as she tried to choke back the sobs that overtook her. She knew that she should be treating Ryan's friends, but she couldn't control herself.

"It'll be okay, sweetie," Colleen whispered as she took a seat next to Claire and put an arm around her shoulders. Claire's head fell on Colleen's shoulder as she let herself be overcome with the sobs trying so hard to break free.

"Claire, this is no time to make new friends! There are patients here who-" Pam stopped mid-sentence when the three former members of the _Berlin_ glared at her. Claire didn't even look up.

"I think you can handle it," Rupert shot angrily.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"Just turn around and walk away," Liam told her.

"You can't tell me what to do," Pam defended.

"No, but honey… if you don't turn around and leave, I swear to go I'm going to have a B.F." Pam paused before turning around and leaving, not sure how to respond to that. Claire began to take a few deep breaths and sat up straight, regaining her breath.

"You alright?" Rupert asked. She nodded and wiped away her tears.

"I'll… I will be fine," she muttered. She looked over at Colleen and flinched.

"What?" Colleen asked.

"You're nose," Liam told her.

"Oh, yeah, I'm pretty sure it's broken." She muttered. Claire stood up and went through her medical kit.

"I'll fix it, just give me a second," she told them.

"Sweetie, you really don't-" Liam started but Claire cut him off.

"No, I really do need to go back to work. The last thing I need is more graveyard shifts," she told him, going to fix Colleen's nose. The whole room flinched as the sickening crack echoed through the noise and Colleen's cry of pain. It was soon followed by Clair's voice.

"Oh, suck it up… your nose is fixed."

* * *

Five hours later, Alex found himself studying Ryan Conaway's chart very carefully. It had taken forever, but he finally closed up the wound and was able to give the man some blood in order to keep him stable. There was a few cuts and bruises on his face and a few other parts around his body, but all in all he would make it through. That is, if he would ever wake up.

As it turned out, Alex didn't have to wait long before Ryan began to stir. Alex walked over and watched as his began to wake up. It almost made him laugh when he realized that he was just as strong, and stubborn as Claire. Though, this also meant that he would probably refuse to stay in bed too. Oh how he couldn't wait for that to happen.

"Where…" Ryan muttered. Alex leaned over and made sure his pupils were blown or dilated, which they weren't.

"Conaway, how many fingers am I holding up?" he asked. Ryan looked at his hand before looking at Alex.

"It's Ryan, and you're holding up four fingers," Ryan said.

"Correct. Congratulations, you don't have brain damage," Alex muttered. Ryan tried to shift his weight, but hissed when a pain erupted in his chest.

"Damn," he whispered.

"You're going to have to take it easy and stay in bed for a few days, you're healed, but you're going to be sore." Ryan sighed ran a hand through his hair.

"Good luck with that, Doc…" he muttered. He moved to sit up, but Alex smacked the folder on his chest, causing him to fall back on the bed. "Shit!" he hissed.

"Lay back down, or I swear to God I'll get Claire up here," Alex said. Ryan paused and looked at him.

"Claire? As in Claire Conaway?" he asked. Alex nodded and wrote a few things on his chart.

"Yup, she's a bit busy. I'm sure once McCoy let's her back into sickbay she'll be right over. Wait, shit I forgot to tell her. She's going to kill me, and I'm not going to get her pudding," Alex frowned at the thought.

"Her what?" Ryan snapped, instantly getting defensive. Alex put the file down for a moment to look at him

"Seriously, chill out. Her pudding cups from dinner. I do nice things for her and she gives me her desert. It's a system. Now relax or I'm going to have to knock you out. The stress really isn't good for your heart right now," he explained as he turned back to Ryan's chart. Ryan let his head fall back onto his pillow and sighed.

"So Claire's okay? Thanks to Shay being all crazy, I haven't been able to get in touch with Claire for awhile," Ryan asked, feeling very drowsy.

"Oh yeah, she's find. She's been extremely worried about you and almost jumped off the ship when she found out about the rebellion on the _Berlin_. She'll be happy to know that you're okay. And perhaps I'll get some more food out of her when she finds out that I saved your life." The last bit was more to himself than to Ryan, but Ryan didn't care too much.

"I'm glad. How's the _Berlin _situation?" Ryan asked, struggling to keep his eyes open. His had too many questions before he could let himself fall asleep.

"More Federation ships showed up a little while ago to arrest the rouge members of your ship. Those who were fighting back are being treated medically on this ship and the _U.S.S. Fireraider_," Alex told him, putting his chart down and checking Ryan's pulse. Ryan nodded as a goofy smile was plastered across his face. Alex looked up to see Ryan's struggle to stay awoke.

"It's okay, dude. Go ahead back to sleep. We'll fill you in more on what's going on when you wake back up. Besides, we want you to be all wide awake and stuff when Claire gets here," Ryan's smile grew wider and he fell asleep without another word. Bones walked in just in time to see Alex putting away Ryan's charts.

"How's he doing?" He asked, causing Alex to jump.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir. He's doing fine now. His blood pressure is elevated, probably from stress and adrenaline from being on the Berlin, but his wound is healing up quite nicely," Alex explained, double checking Ryan's chart. Bones nodded and looked down at the boy.

"You know, I'm kind of surprised. I'll be honest; I thought he was as good as dead when you brought him aboard. I don't normally say this kind of thing, so pay attention kid. You did a good job here. We might even consider you for that promotion." Alex smiled.

"Really? You think so?" he asked. Bones shot him a look not to push it.

"Yes, you're still a young and inexperienced doctor, but you show promise in the trauma field. Keep up the good work, and don't tell anyone I told you that," Alex nodded.

"Thank you sir," Alex said. McCoy nodded and walked away, leaving Alex alone with his patient. Alex smirked and put the chart down, figuring he better get ready for Claire to burst in before McCoy gave her the graveyard shift again.

* * *

Silence is what she needed. She had been stuffed in a room full of sick people for so long, all she wanted was silence, and a hot shower. Claire entered the lift and hit the button to take her back to sickbay. With luck, McCoy would give her a break, and she would be able to look for her brother.

She closed her eyes and let her head rest against the wall. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this tired, not even when she was studying in the academy. No, this past month had been the most exhausting month she had ever experience. Her hair was pulled back, hiding the many knots and tangles that seemed to be permanently embedded in her hair. She was sure she looked deathly pale and sick from all the stress she was going through, and lack of sleep.

The lift stopped and she opened her eyes just in time for someone to walk it. If she were in her right mind, she would've gotten out of the lift. If she wasn't so tired, she would've tried to be as far away from him as possible. Maybe, if she wasn't so stressed and worried, she would've been able to ignore the rush of butterflies that erupted in her stomach when his bright blue eyes met her stony grey.

"Claire…" he said. He pressed a button on the lift and turned to look at her.

"Captain," she replied. Even her voice sounded tired. Kirk didn't seem to notice as he surveyed her. His eyes rested on her black eye and moved forward, causing her to freeze.

"You get in a fight with a patient?" he asked. His voice held a light humor, but it was soft and soothing, and it seemed to wash right over her. He reached out and let his fingers trace over the ugly bruise, causing her to shy away a little.

"I uh… I was helping Alex out when a patient accidentally hit me," she told him. Their eyes met once more and she felt her heartbeat quicken.

"Bad luck…" he whispered. She took a deep breath and looked down.

"Captain…" she mumbled.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" he asked. He couldn't help the smile that reached his lips.

"Sir… I just. I'm seeing someone, and after what just happened you're just…" she shook her head. He backed off a little and watched her try to keep herself under check. She was probably right. Now was not the time for flirting. She had just tended to hundreds of people, most who probably wouldn't make it through the night. Not to mention the horror of not knowing whether your brother was dead or alive.

"Sorry," he said, walking to the other side of the lift. Claire looked up and watched him stare at the door. She would be lying if she said she wasn't surprised, she took him for the type of guy who would try and take advantage of her in this situation. Yet there he was, being a complete gentleman and giving her space.

"Thank you," she whispered. Kirk nodded and after a moment turned toward her.

"So… who is this guy you're seeing? I bet he's not half as sexy as me." Claire rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her tangled hair. At least he was more than three inches away from her.

"I'm seeing Alex. We started out as friends, but we're official now," she explained, doing pretty well at not letting a stutter escape her mouth. Truth be told, she was a pretty bad liar when it came to hot guys, but she figured that she was doing pretty well. Honestly, she was too tired to really care whether he believed her or not. Kirk appeared to be deep in thought for a minute when a look of realization crossed his face.

"Right, right. That other doctor who came onto the ship the same time as you. I just saw him earlier today when I boarded the _Berlin_. He's not really as good looking as me though and I doubt he's as good in bed." Claire chuckled to herself, not really because she thought that he was funny, but because she was too tired to argue.

"Yeah, I'm sure," she told him sarcastically. He shrugged.

"There's only one way to find out," he offered, opening his arms and motioning for her to stand next to him. He had the famous Kirk smile on and Claire found it extremely hard to resist.

"Sorry, Captain, but I need to head over to sickbay to see if I can find my brother," Claire said as she glanced up at the floor monitor on the lift. Just three more floors.

"Your brother? I saw him today. You both have the same eyes and the same features. Well, not the exact same. Obviously you're far more attractive and I'm not ga-" Claire whirled around at the mention of her brother.

"You saw him? When?" She asked, restraining herself from latching onto him. It wasn't very appropriate, though temping, and see needed to find Ryan.

"Yeah, I took out Captain Shay right before he could finish him off. Your boyfriend was there bringing him back to the ship. You'll have to talk to him," he said, clearly not liking the idea of making Claire's 'boyfriend' sound heroic or anything. "But I was the one protecting him," he added, just for good measure.

"He's on the ship? And Alex didn't tell me?" she snapped. Kirk had to resist the urge to smile as she saw she was getting a little annoyed.

"Yeah, that bastard didn't tell you!" he shot.

"Well, was he okay? Wait… why did Alex have to take him to the ship?" she asked. Kirk frowned and said nothing at first, which caused Claire to begin to worry as he remained silent.

"We was…" Claire could practically feel the blood drain from her face as she assumed the worst.

"What happened?" Kirk looked down for a second before looking back up at her.

"I don't know how he is now but… he looked pretty bad, Claire," He said.

"How bad?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. Kirk sighed.

"It's… pretty bad." Claire looked to the lift, the next floor was sickbay. She needed to get there immediately and see. She had to be sure the doors opened and Claire ran out, not bothering to say goodbye. She soon arrived and looked around to see either of the two people she needed to see. She saw Alex first and ran to him, practically tackling him to the ground.

"Jesus Christ!" Alex cried, almost falling to the floor.

"Where is he?" Claire asked.

"Hi Claire, nice to see you too," Alex muttered.

"Damn it, Alex. Where is he? Is he alright?" she asked. She knew that if she found out that her brother wasn't alright, she would probably break down right here.

"He's fine, Claire. A little worn out, but that's his own damn fault. The guy refuses to lay down and take it easy," Alex muttered.

"You're talking about Ryan right? Ryan Conaway?" she asked.

"You're very stubborn and annoying brother? Yes. I spent a half an hour repairing a hole in his chest and already he is trying to drag himself out of bed. The guy is crazy!" Claire's eyes went wide.

"A hole? WHAT?" Alex rolled his eyes.

"He was shot in the chest, don't worry, I repaired it and got him stable, and he should be just fine," Alex told her. She paused for a minute, trying to figure out how getting shot in the chest was 'just fine,' but shook that thought away quickly.

"Where is he?" She asked. Alex gestured over to a patient who was currently trying to get a nurse to let him walk around.

"Over there, stubborn son of a bitch. If you can't get him to take it easy, we're going to have to sedate him," Alex told her. Claire didn't hear a word Alex said after he pointed out her brother. She immediately ran over to him and practically jumped onto his bed, embracing him. For a moment, Ryan couldn't speak.

"You stupid… I was so worried about you!" She cried as she buried herself into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her as well, but she noticed the grunt of pain he let out.

"Claire… I was shot… chest…" He breathed out and she realized that she had been squeezing herself into his injured chest.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Nurse, get me his charts! Don't look at me like that, DO IT!" Claire ordered, sending the frightened nurse off to fetch Ryan's charts from Alex. Ryan smiled down at his sister who was lying off to his side and trying very carefully not to put any pressure on his chest.

"Jeez, calm down Claire. I'm alright," Ryan said in a weak voice. Claire glared up into her older brother's tired grey eyes.

"You couldn't even spare me a call? It's been over a week, Ryan! And then today I find out that your ship went rouge all of the sudden. What's been going on?" She asked, but Ryan's smile from seeing her turned into a frown.

"It's a long story. I did try and call you, but after everything went down with Griffin and The Captain-"

"Griffin? What's wrong with Griffin?" she asked. Before he could answer, Alex walked over with the charts, giving Claire a disappointing look.

"This is so against procedure." Claire glared and grabbed the chart from him.

"Leave me alone," She snapped, opening the chart and looking it over.

"Claire, if McCoy catches you-"

"Alex, I'm off duty. I got the message from McCoy an hour ago," Alex paused then rolled his eyes, grabbing back his chart.

"Then you can't look at that," he snapped, turning around and going to another patient. Claire rolled her eyes and looked up at her brother.

"What's wrong with Griffin?" she asked. Ryan leaned his head back, but let Claire lean against his arm.

"He… he was one of them," he whispered.

"One of the rouge dudes?" she asked. He nodded and closed his eyes, trying to block out the memories of his friends betrayal from his mind.

"Yeah…" Claire frowned and tried to lightly give him a hug.

"That sucks…" Ryan let out a small chuckle but nodded.

"Sure does," he muttered. Claire sat up and smiled at her older brother.

"I'm so glad you're okay, you really had me worried. It's not like you not to message me at least once every other day," she said. Ryan laughed but had to stop, due to his chest hurting from it. Claire frowned when she realized that making him laugh was actually hurting him.

"Don't worry about it Claire… I know you only mean well," he muttered. She simply frowned and took a hold of his hand.

"I met a few of your friends," she told him, trying to distract him.

"Really? Which ones?" he asked. Claire thought it over for a minute before answering him.

"Uh… Rupert, Liam, and Colleen I believe," she said. She didn't fail to notice the small blush that came to his cheeks. Before she could say anything about it, he spoke.

"Did you find Oliver?" he asked. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Who is Oliver?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Never mind, you would know if you found Oliver."

"Should I be concerned?" She asked, but he just smiled and shook his head again.

"Trust me, there's no need to be concerned. Well, unless he's not taking his medication." Claire gave her brother a worried look as he started chuckling to himself.

"Anyway, they all seem very nice. I was just wondering though, is Liam… well…" Ryan smiled.

"Yeah, he's gay." The siblings broke out into laughter, despite the throbbing pain in Ryan's chest. He was always happy on the _Berlin_, but never really at peace like he was when he was with his sister.

"I was just wondering because I saw the eyeliner," she said, wiping a few tears out of her eyes from laughing so hard.

"It's funny because that's how I found out too. Griffin and his friends confirmed it for me," Ryan explained, but his face fell at the mention of his old friend. Claire noticed this and gave her brother a small peck on the cheek.

"I know that this must be tearing you up inside, but maybe it's for the best. Griffin obviously wasn't that good of a guy if he could just turn on you like that," she said, trying to comfort him.

"I know, but he was still my best friend. Perhaps he didn't think as highly as I thought of him, but you can't just let a person like that go overnight. I trusted him and respected him. He betrayed me without a second thought." Claire frowned but squeezed his hand.

"I can't imagine what that's like," she muttered. Ryan sighed and leaned back against his bed, letting his eyes close.

"Hopefully, you'll never have to," he said. She smiled and watched as he began to drift off.

"Night Ryan," she said softly. Ryan didn't reply as he soon fell asleep, which let Claire move so she was sitting next to the bed. She didn't stay there long before someone smacked a chart to the side of her chair.

"You need rest, Conaway… and a shower," McCoy muttered. Claire shook her head.

"I can't just leave him alone," she argued. McCoy rolled his eyes.

"You can, and you will. You are in desperate need to get some rest and to shower. He'll be here when you come back." Claire pressed her lips together and continued to look at Ryan. After a very nasty look from McCoy, she got up and left. When she got to the door, she saw Alex waiting for her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I figured you could use the company. Not to mention I expect a huge thank you for saving your brother from death." Claire smiled and walked with him to the lift.

"Well, I guess I'll be giving you half my dinner for a week," she said. He looked thoughtful for a moment before shrugging.

"I'm thinking more along the lines of… meet me in bed later, type of thank you." Claire raised an eyebrow as they entered the lift.

"How about I pretend you didn't say that, and we can stick to the half of dinner deal." Alex frowned but shrugged.

"Sounds good enough for me," he replied. They stood in silence as the lift sped through the ship.

"Is it just me, or do these things seem to be moving slower and slower every day?" Claire asked angrily as they moved up a single floor.

"It's a big ship. With a lot of hot babes, I might add," Alex said as he slipped his hand into Claire's. Claire pulled her hand away as if a snake had jumped out and bit her.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked in shock which quickly turned to anger. She glared at him and Alex just shrugged, giving her a look of indifference.

"We're fake going out, remember? You don't have to like me, but I figured you'd want to at least pretend like we're a couple," he stated, offering out his hand again. Claire looked at it as if it were someone's smelly underwear before hesitantly sticking her hand out and grabbing it.

"This is really weird," she said after a minute of holding his surprisingly soft hands. He nodded.

"I promise that I won't bite, unless you're into that sorta thing. In which case, I'll have to whisk you back to my room. I have higher standards than doing it in a lift." Claire leaned over and smacked Alex with her free hand, earning a soft 'ow' from him.

"You need to back off a bit," she ordered, turning to glare at him.

"Fine, fine. I'll back off, but I suggest we kick it up a notch whenever the Captain is in the room." Claire raised an eyebrow at him.

"Define kicking it up a notch."

"You know, we can kiss here and there. Oh, and maybe I can give your butt a slap when you take up my tray for me at dinner." Claire twitched, trying to resist the urge to beat the crap out of Alex until he explained himself.

"What do you mean, when I take your tray up for dinner? That wasn't part of our deal," she told him, giving him a chance to save himself. However, Alex continued on completely oblivious to Claire's increasing anger.

"Well, you're the woman and I'm the man. So by nature, it's your job to pamper me." She raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, I still don't understand." Alex rolled his eyes.

"Look, as your boyfriend, you are required to do a few things for me. Since you refuse to do the most important one, you have to make up for it," Alex said, now speaking his mind. They both were sure that if he had gotten more sleep, he wouldn't be speaking his mind. But 48 hours of no sleep wasn't good for keeping someone's mouth shut. Claire paused before snaking her hand away from his and quickly hitting his groin quickly, causing him to cry out in pain and fall to the floor. She crossed her arms.

"Okay, you are an jackass if you think that I would actually buy that bullshit. You can take your own damn tray up, and if you think you will be getting anything other than a glance at… you can be sorely mistaken. I hope you can figure out a damn good apology after this, because other than you being an asshole, you're a pretty decent guy." Claire snapped.

"Jesus fucking Christ." Claire rolled her eyes. When the lift doors opened, she was met with none other than the Captain and his first officer, whom she still hadn't met. Kirk smiled but looked down upon hearing a few groans of pain. The Vulcan did the same and raised an eyebrow at the young man.

"Uh… do I want to know?" Kirk asked. Claire stepped off the lift.

"We got in an argument," she told him.

"Oh really, I guess I don't need to ask who won…" The Vulcan tilted his head to the side.

"It would seem to be a very redundant question, Captain." Kirk nodded.

"I suppose so," he muttered. Claire simply held her head high and walked past them to her quarters.

"Your choice of women is quite interesting, Jim." Kirk nodded.

"I think that's a bit of a redundant statement, Spock." Spock paused before nodded.

"Yes, I suppose so."

_

* * *

_

So, since we had one or two lengthy reviews, we should answer them here.

**WhatsGoingOn:**

_**Raxsah: **__I agree, I think this story is horrendously under review. Thank you for agreeing.  
__**Jeck: **__More reviews can never hurt. Bad reviews are better than no reviews. And pudding cups are the ultimate awesome. Just saying. Thanks for the review!_

**Parallel Days:**

_**Jeck:**__I'm glad you're loving our stuff so far. Don't worry, the good stuff is coming up soon. And so far, there's plenty of it. :D And if you keep reading, we'll keep ranting.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, we're glad you liked all out OC's, we like them too. The 'Fun' stuff will eventually come. But when dealing with a virginal writer it takes a bit. It will come soon enough_.  
_**Jeck: **__Don't worry, I'm working on her. She'll be writing like a slut soon enough. 3_

**Bunnychica9 :**

_**Raxsah: **__We're working on it, we promise.  
__**Jeck: **__More what? Potatoes? Olives? Oh wait… yeah, more will be coming to a theater near you.  
_

_**Raxsah: **__So… That's the end of this chapter. We made it long just for you guys.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah. It was either multiple chapters or a really long one. Either way, it's the same amount. Lol  
__**Raxsah: **__Pretty much. We apologize that it took us so long. Keep sending reviews and maybe we'll post something Friday. Maybe…  
__**Jeck: **__Maybe? Like most definitely… maybe… yeah…  
__**Raxsah: **__Right. Review, favorite, alert… whatever. Hope you enjoyed it!  
__**Jeck: **__Yes indeed! R & R peoples! :D_


	5. You Don't Know How It Feels

_**Raxsah:** Boom Sha-kah-laka!_  
_**Jeck:** With a side of fries!_  
_**Raxsah:** Ugh, can we not talk about food. I'm still full._  
_**Jeck:** Delicious, delicious food. Sadly, we can't all eat recreationally like B-Fay does. However, we can read recreationally. :D Shameless promoting!_  
_**Raxsah:** Hahahahaaa! We are back, and better than ever, or at least… we're back. Hahahaaa!_  
_**Jeck:** Am I the only one that notices that we are actually getting better as the story goes on? Like… yeah… lol_  
_**Raxsah: **Better at what? Talking? We were always fantastic at that!_  
_**Jeck: **Well yeah. We're just fucking sexy beasts like that. Nevermind then, I forgot that we can't be serious. lol_  
_**Raxsah:** Oh, Hahahahaa, I get it. Sorry, I'm a little out of it. Anyway, we'd like to thank everyone who added this to their favorites and Alerts lists. We appreciate it._  
_**Jeck: **And all the lovely reviews. All 3 of you!_  
_**Raxsah:** Yes, they were quite nice. So, obviously we own nothing of Star Trek, only the OC's._  
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_**Jeck: **She's kind of crazy, so I'd actually feel bad for you, man._  
_**Raxsah:** Just a little. Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 5: You Don't Know How It Feels

* * *

When Ryan woke up, he was surprised to see that Claire was nowhere to be found. Alex however, was there and didn't look too pleased. Ryan glanced at a mirror and frowned. His hair was matted a bit, and he looked very worn. He assumed that it had something to do the mass amounts of stress he had recently been under. He looked back at Alex, who began muttering a few things under his breath.

"You look pleasant this morning," Ryan said. Alex scoffed and wrote a few things on his chart.

"You can thank your lovely sister for that one," he muttered.

"Claire? What happened? "Ryan asked, stifling back a yawn. Despite just waking up, he still felt exhausted.

"Two hours of ice packing my balls," Alex mumbled without looking up from his chart.

"Excuse me?" Ryan asked, sitting up in his bed and preparing to fling the sheets off while glaring at Alex. His right hand shot up to his chest, forgetting his wound once again.

"She punched me in the balls, dude. No need to get your hospital gown in a bunch," Alex replied, a little too nasty for Ryan's liking.

"That's my sister," Ryan muttered to himself as he lean back on his bed. Truth be told, he was getting a little skittish from not being able to leave his bed. He was also a little disappointed that Claire wasn't around and he was stuck with her ignorant friend. Though, Ryan figured he shouldn't be that nasty to Alex considering the man just saved his life.

"How are you feeling today, anyway?" Alex asked, pulling out another chart. He grabbed a body monitor from off the table across the room and began scanning Ryan's vitals.

"I'm still pretty exhausted, but I'm doing better. Thanks," Ryan said awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. He was grateful, but he wasn't sure that he liked Alex all that much.

"Well, considering your body is expending a lot of energy to heal that wound up and fight any off infection, I'm not surprised. I'm serious when I say to relax here today. Claire will probably be back down later to check on you. Dr. McCoy had to force her to leave last night," Alex explained as he finished checking Ryan's vitals. "Everything seems to be good. Just take it easy today."

"Okay. So, what did you do to piss off my sister?" Ryan asked. Alex paused before giving a nervous cough.

"I uh… I sort of implied some rather rotten things about women in relationships. It didn't end well," Alex confessed. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Well then you probably deserved it," he muttered.

"Yeah… she'll forgive me, right?" Alex asked. He was really liking the pudding cup deal they had going on, and it would be a shame if he had to lose it.

"Maybe, if you get her something nice," Ryan replied.

"Something nice… like what?" he asked. Ryan shrugged.

"I don't know. Chocolate, flowers, hell you could just go up and say that you were an idiot and that would probably be enough. She's secretly a softy. She forgives too easily," Ryan said. Alex furrowed his eyebrows.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yeah, it helps if you have one of the former two whilst apologizing." Alex nodded and looked at the door, where he saw Claire enter. Alex dropped the chart on the table and walked away, causing Ryan to raise an eyebrow. Claire walked over and sat next to Ryan on the bed.

"Hey, you sleep alright?" she asked. Ryan nodded and noticed that she looked a little more rested than she did the night before, and her hair was washed and detangled. All in all, she looked much better.

"Alright. You know your buddy just ran out of here." She shot a glare in Alex's direction then turned back to him.

"He's a jackass," she muttered.

"He's a guy. He's sorry, I'm sure. The guy seems to be working on two hours of sleep. Stupid shit is bound to come out of his mouth," Ryan said in Alex's defense, but Claire just shook her head.

"Stupid shit is bound to come out of his mouth because he's a guy; sleep has nothing to do with it," she replied.

"Hey! I'm a guy too!" Ryan said loudly, giving his sister a glare.

"You're my brother, I can deal with you. Well… most of the time…" She trailed off as she noticed Ryan's chart on the table. She picked it up and began going over it, giving a nod or two every now and then.

"I suppose that means I'll be alright…" Ryan said. She nodded and placed down the chart.

"Yes… all in all. You'll need to stay in bed for a few more days, but you'll live." Ryan nodded and patted her hand.

"You worry too much, Claire." She let out a very un-lady like snort and shook her head.

"You're one to talk, loser," she said.

"Ouch, I almost die and you're calling me a loser?" he asked.

"You're not dying now. Maybe if you didn't have to be such a freaking hero, you wouldn't have to worry about it." Ryan shrugged and looked around.

"So, you work here?" he said, trying to change the subject. Claire gave him a small glare, but went with the change of subject.

"Yes, I work here. Quite frequently," she replied. Ryan chuckled and moved to sit up a little, noticing that the pain in his chest was nowhere near as bad as it used to be.

"So, you have fun around here?" he asked. She shrugged.

"It can be, depending on what kind of day it is. Some days you have shirtless men walking around and flirting with you, other days you get punched in the face by a patient. It's never boring," she said, not even thinking about what she'd told him. Ryan paused as he took in what his sister said. Now that he was able to get a better look at her face, he saw the pretty large bruise on her eye. And he was far from dismissing her first statement. What did she mean by shirtless men walking around? And why were they flirting with her?

"Care to fill me in a little bit about these shirtless men?" Ryan asked, his anger rising a little bit. Claire noticed the irritation in her brother and crossed her arms.

"Oh, so now you're interested in shirtless men? I didn't really think that you swung that way. Actually, I figured you'd be more interested in that Colleen girl," Claire said with a sneer, knowing that she'd hit a sensitive spot. From the short time she'd been talking to Colleen to the small reaction that she'd gotten out of her brother at those words, she knew there was something between them.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" Ryan said defensively, his face turning red. Claire chuckled to herself.

"Well we don't have to talk about it now, but I want details. I need to know about the girl who's sleeping around with my brother!"

"I'm not sleeping with her! I'm not even dating her," Ryan defended.

"Fine, but you like her. You should ask her out," Claire suggested. Ryan sighed and leaned back.

"We'll see…"

* * *

Two days later, no one was given a break, unless you were in a hospital bed, you were working. The same rule applied to Claire, who had been working the graveyard shift for a few days. She couldn't complain though, she was busy and got to see her brother. That was all that mattered. Unfortunately, she was also stuck with Alex a majority of the time. Both of them had pretty much kept their distance from each other, but Claire knew that she needed a friend in sickbay. Alex was an ass, but he looked out for her and kept her company as best he could. He was a decent guy, but an ass.

"So, Doctor Conaway, how long do you think I'll have before I can get out of here?" Rupert asked. Claire smiled and filled a few things out on his chart.

"Not too long, though I don't know what you are going to do. Until we get back to earth there isn't much fun going around," she told him.

"Sure there is fun, you just need to know where to look," Rupert told her.

"Oh really? What sort of fun could you possibly be looking for?" she asked, putting his chart down.

"Let me put it this way… back on the _Berlin,_ there was two girls, one of which would be scary to sleep with, since she is my boss and all." Claire shook her head and turned a little red.

"Enough said…" Before Rupert could say anything else, a voice cut in.

"Claire, I need to talk to you." Claire looked over and Alex and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She turned back to Rupert and smiled.

"I'll be back, just try and remain calm… you'll be out of here soon enough." He smiled and she let Alex drag her into a supply closet. He closed the door and turned to her, watching as she fixed him with a glare and crossed her arms.

"Look, I'm sorry. My dad was an earth military man and had certain values that he just beat into me. And I mean, every minute of every day. I was wrong, I'm an idiot, but I like hanging out with you a lot more than I like hanging out with Pam. Not to mention you're hotter, and I like to tell all the guys in engineering that you're my girlfriend, which you kind of are."

"Alex-"

"I'm sorry, I really am. I want to be friends… I miss the desert I get for helping you out. And other stuff of course, but you know…" Claire rolled her eyes.

"Don't beg, it's not a very flattering look for you," Claire stated simply, running a hand through her hair. Alex smiled regardless.

"Using my own words against me, touché."

"Be happy it's your words and not a chainsaw," Claire told him, preparing to leave the closest.

"Wait a second!" Alex whispered, grabbing her arm.

"What?" She asked, glaring back at Alex.

"So we're cool then? We're going to pretend to go out again and I get your pudding cups, right?" Claire nodded and Alex grinned.

"Now, can I go back to work before the evil one comes around to see that we're not working?"

"Well actually, I was thinking that we could mess up our clothes a bit. Make it look like we were getting down and dirty," Alex suggested, obviously getting turned on by the idea.

"But we weren't," Claire stated, trying to make Alex back off a bit.

"We can if you want."

"You're a pervert."

"And you love me," Alex replied, almost faster than Claire could process.

"You know my brother is in there, right? If he saw that… well, you might question whether he was injured at all. He'd kick your ass to earth and back." Alex paused and nodded.

"Good point, we'll get down and dirty after he leaves." Claire rolled her eyes and opened the door, almost walking straight into Doctor McCoy.

"Crap," she muttered.

"Conaway, Chambers… I don't know what your fascination is with this supply closet, but you better get over it quick and get back to work. And I mean now!"

"Yes sir!" Claire muttered, slinking past him and walking over to Liam, who was making eyes at Alex as he walked by.

"Is that your boyfriend?" he asked. Claire nodded and grabbed his chart.

"Something like that… how are you feeling?" she asked.

"Fine, there is no sign of any internal bleeding, my blood pressure is normal, not external scars to speak of, my concussion is long gone, and the only thing elevated is well… maybe I shouldn't say it around young ladies." Claire turned red when she realized what he was talking about, and set the chart down.

"So uh… you seem to know a lot about medicine," she muttered. Liam shrugged.

"I was a doctor before I became a pilot. I'm thinking about switching back though, I almost forgot how much fun being a doctor was," he said, gesturing to a nurse who was checking a shirtless patients stats. Claire couldn't hide back the smirk as she walked over to him.

"Mr. Peterson-"

"Call me Liam, sweetie. Mr. Peterson reminds me of my dad," he said, giving a grimace as well. Claire frowned.

"Did you not get along with your father?" she asked. He shrugged.

"There were moments where we got along, but after I came out, things were different. He was there for me, but he wasn't… you know?" Claire gave a soft smile and nodded.

"Yeah, I know all about that." There was a pause between them before she spoke once more. "You should be able to be out of here in a few hours, let me just notify Nurse Chapel." He nodded and leaned back, letting her walk to the medical station.

"Mr. Peterson is ready to check out in a few hours, let Doctor McCoy know." Nurse Chapel nodded and went back to work. Claire glanced over to her brother and saw him and Colleen talking. The look in her brother's eyes made it obvious that he cared for her, she only hoped she wouldn't break her brother's heart.

"Hey Claire, before you go I have a quick question." Claire turned around to see Liam who didn't even bother looking at her. His eyes were drawn to the other side of the room where her 'boyfriend' was currently working with a patient.

"Yes, Liam?"

"Do you think that I could get some sloppy seconds when you're done with him?"

* * *

"So you're doing okay?" Colleen asked, placing a hand of concern over Ryan's hand. His cheeks had a tint of red as he swallowed a lump that was slowly forming in this throat.

"I'm great. I'm sure I'll be out of here soon. They just need to make sure that everything is healing the way it should be," He explained, lifting up his shirt to show her the bandage covering his chest. Her eyes became sad, remembering everything that the crew of the _Berlin_ had been through. She'd heard a few members had even died and she prayed that Oliver hadn't met the same fate, even if he was a little annoying weasel of a man.

"I'm glad to see that you're doing better. I figured that with everything that had happened, you'd be… I don't know, more depressed." Ryan nodded and looked down at the bed, noting the little patterns that were sewn into the sheet.

"I'm not saying that I'm not because I am. I lost my best friend. But I can't be sad because I'm with my sister again and all my closest friends made it out alive," Ryan explained, his hand slipping out from underneath Colleen's hand and gripping her hand tighter. "And you're here." Colleen smiled at his corny line, but she understood.

"I'm glad that you made it out alive too. We'd heard that you weren't looking too good coming off the ship and we were worried. Especially Liam, you know that he acts more like a girl than me sometimes." The two broke out into laughter as Claire walked up to her brother.

"You're friends are weird… no offense," Claire said, looking at Colleen at the last part. Colleen shrugged and smiled.

"No offense taken." Ryan smiled and looked at his sister.

"Why are my friends weird?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"Liam just asked if he could have Alex when I was done with him. How am I supposed to answer to that? Yeah, go ahead, take my boyfriend and do naughty things with him." Ryan became deathly pale and Colleen shrugged.

"Well, if you're done with him. Wouldn't that mean that you are broken up, so he would be your ex-boyfriend." Claire paused then nodded.

"True… I doubt Alex would go for him though. Not only is he straight, but he's that asshole kind of straight." Ryan coughed a little and tried to sit up.

"Alex is your what now?" he asked. Claire paused when she realized what she had said, and smiled nervously.

"Hey, I think I hear Doctor McCoy coming to yell at me, I better get to work," she said, turning around and walking away. Ryan went to stand up, but Colleen pushed him down.

"Relax, she'll be around later. It's not like she can run very far. We don't dock for earth for some time." He nodded.

"I know, but still." Colleen laughed at his protective manner toward Claire. It was quite endearing, and she wondered if he had the same effect with his significant other. Sure it might have been annoying, but it was nice to know someone was worried about you.

"So, what are you going to do when you get back to earth?" she asked. Ryan shrugged.

"Not sure… probably have to deal with a huge court marshal thing for Shay and Griffin." Colleen nodded.

"Yeah, you and Captain Kirk are going to be very busy," she said. Ryan rolled his eyes at the mention of Captain Kirk. True the guy saved his life, but after that night at the bar, he was sure that he couldn't look the man in the eye.

"Don't mention Kirk," Ryan muttered. Colleen looked confused.

"Why?" she asked.

"We just… didn't have a good first impression," Ryan said. She still was confused, but shrugged.

"I see… well… what are you going to do after all the junk with Starfleet is over?" he shrugged.

"Find a bar. You want to join me?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"I don't really do bars. My dad's liver failed after 54 years of drinking," Colleen explained, causing Ryan's face to fall at the rejection. Colleen noticed it and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"But you can definitely take me out for coffee." At those words, Ryan's face lit back up.

"It's a deal."

* * *

"Stop complaining!" Claire shouted as she pushed her brother off of the small shuttle that had just docked in the Starfleet docking port.

"I'm perfectly capable of walking!" Ryan yelled back from the wheelchair that he had been confided to. Dr. McCoy had ordered that Ryan remain in it for the day and he wasn't going to say no to that. His sister, however, was a different story.

"Are you trying to get me in trouble with my boss? Besides, I agree with him. I think that one more day of taking it easy is good for you," she snapped. Ryan rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"This is ridiculous. I am a twenty four year old man, this is stupid," Ryan said.

"Yet you complain like a fifty year old woman. Shut up and enjoy the ride. It could be worse…" she told him.

"Really? Like how?" he asked.

"I could get Colleen to push you around. How cute would that be? Having your girlfriend pushing you around Starfleet. It's so cute!" Ryan paused then let out a exasperated sigh.

"Fine. Gosh, I hate when you're right." Claire rolled her eyes and froze, causing Ryan to look up at her. "Claire? You alright?" he asked.

"The prisoners from the _Berlin _just arrived," she said softly. He looked in her line of vision just in time to see them pull Griffin out of the shuttle. As soon as he was out, his icy blue eyes met Ryan's stony grey. There was so much anger held in his eyes, it was almost frightening. Though, Ryan couldn't blame him. In some weird way, he was sure that Griffin felt Ryan had betrayed him. Though it was far from the truth, it was understandable.

"Come on Claire… let's go." He said. She paused.

"Ryan…"

"Come on, don't you want to see your new apartment? They give them to all official Starfleet officers." Claire began to roll him out of the shuttle bay.

"I know what you are doing, just for that, I'm taking the stairs." Ryan chuckled, though it was a bit forced.

"You're mean… I don't want to have my leg broken just as I'm allowed to walk." They walked out of the bay and into the warmth of San Francisco. Claire was glad to be back on earth, though, she was slowly enjoying life on a starship. There was one thing earth had that the _Enterprise_ would never get close too. The sun. Even growing up in a big city, she had loved the sun.

"You just don't want to break your leg before your date with Colleen," she said, forgetting the sun for a moment and continuing the conversation. Ryan blushed a deep shade of red as he glared up at his sister.

"You were adopted," he said bluntly, causing her to burst out laughing.

"Dude, there is no way that we're not related. We both have blonde hair, though yours is darker, and the same grey eyes. Look, we even have the same nose!" Claire said, stopping his wheelchair and pointing to her nose.

"I remember when that used to work…" he mumbled to himself, though Claire clearly heard him.

"Yeah, when I was like six and you were eight, dumb-dumb," she said as they neared the Starfleet Medical Center.

"Hey wait, why are we going there? I thought we were going to the Ensign housing building," Ryan asked as the sign came into view.

"We need to check you in first, to make sure you're not carrying any infectious diseases that could have been caused by your injury. Don't worry, you'll be showered and ready to meet up with Colleen later," Claire told him, whisper that last part in his ear just in case the object of his affections was standing nearby.

"You're not going to let that go, are you?" he asked her. He shrugged and wheeled him into the medical building and taking him to a bed.

"Nope, now get on the bed and I'll get a doctor," she told him.

"Why can't you just do it?" he asked, boosting himself onto the bed.

"Because I have to get my shots too… stop being a baby and sit tight." Claire turned and walked up to the med station.

"We have a patient ready to be checked for any infectious diseases." The nurse looked up and nodded.

"Very well, have you been checked out yet?" she asked.

"Oh, uh… no. I need to be checked." The nurse nodded and stood.

"Go sit on an empty bed, a doctor will be there in a moment." Claire nodded and sat on the closest bed, her eyes fixed on her boots. They were quite worn, and even had a few holes near the soles. She would probably have to buy new ones, not that she wouldn't have time now.

"Alright, what the hell is wrong with you?" Claire's eyes shot up and flinched when she realized McCoy was her check in doctor.

"Dude, didn't you just get off the shuttle like… five minutes ago?" McCoy grabbed her chart.

"Senior officers arrived an hour ago," he stated plainly.

"But like… why would you go straight to work here?" she asked. He began to get a few vaccines together and turned toward her.

"I don't need to explain my motives to you, I'm your senior," he snapped. He placed a hypo spray to her neck and injected it. She hissed and rubbed the spot where he injected it.

"I'm off duty, and you can't kick me off the ship." McCoy rolled his eyes as he injected her with a few more vaccines.

"You're done, now get out of here." She got off the bed and straightened out her uniform. She couldn't wait to change into something more comfortable.

"Thanks… I think," she muttered. McCoy rolled his eyes and went off to another patient, while Claire walked over to her brother, who just got finished being injected with the last of his vaccines.

"Damn, I hate that thing! Jeez, I thought they were going to try to give me a hypo spray tattoo mark on my neck!" Ryan complained as Claire began wheeling him out of the Starfleet Medical Center.

"Don't whine, you sound like a little girl," she shot back, causing him to shut up. Just like every other normal guy, Ryan was all about preserving his masculinity. Claire had found out that cheap shots about his being like a girl were the easiest way to win in an argument.

"So, what are you planning on doing on your first night back on earth?" Ryan asked, trying to change the subject.

"Probably hitting up a bar or two tonight, my favorite pastime," she said, checking a map on the side of the sidewalk to find the Starfleet housing.

"Oh, lovely. Please, try not to get wasted and hook up with a random guy," Ryan warned, causing Claire to roll her eyes angrily.

"Ryan, chill out. All you do is bitch and nag all the time! I'm quite sick of it!" Claire snapped without taking her eyes off the map. Ryan glare back at her and attempted to stand up from his wheelchair. His legs felt weak since no one had really given him a chance to walk around and the sudden movement made him feel a little light headed.

"I'm sick of you acting like there are no risks in the world. There are always repercussions to your actions, Claire." Ryan told her sternly. He grabbed supported of the wheelchair arm as he wobbled slightly, his legs still getting the feel for walking again. Claire turned around just in time to see how unbalanced he was.

"Ryan Tyler Conaway, you sit back down in the chair right now!"

"Jesus Claire, I'm not five years old!" he snapped. She shoved him back into the chair and began pushing him toward the direction of the housing.

"Then stop acting like a child." She hissed. Ryan went to say something but Claire cut him off by lightly slamming him into a bench.

"Fuck!" he hissed.

"Oops, my bad," Claire muttered, and began pushing him toward the housing.

"Claire Ad-"

"Don't even go there!" she hissed, causing Ryan to stop. "I swear to God, I'm not against breaking your leg." He frowned and crossed his arms.

"No good little sisters," he muttered.

"No good big brothers," she replied. Ryan didn't say anything else as they entered the housing.

* * *

Claire walked into the medical bay on Starfleet academy, and straightened her Starfleet jacket, which she sort of stole from the academy's washroom. She was sure that she was not allowed to wear jeans when she was 'working,' but as far as she was concerned, they took her from her night of awesome drinking.

"Alright, did you really need to call me in? There is no one here!" Claire snapped. The nurse looked over her attire and shook her head.

"Doctor McCoy was supposed to be on shift tonight, but Captain Kirk said that he was needed and to call you," the nurse said. Claire raised an eyebrow and ran a hand through her hair, which she had let down for this first time after keeping it up for a good two months.

"This is my first night off in a month! I was just about to go to a bar and possibly meet my future husband, and now I have to work?" The nurse stood up and handed her a chart.

"Welcome to Starfleet darling. You can keep the jeans, but loose the shoes. I'm not a doctor, but I'm sure working in your heels isn't comfortable," the nurse said. Claire sighed and slipped off her heels, rubbing the soles of her feet before searching the place before finding a pair of boots. Luckily they weren't too big for her to work in, so she began to make rounds.

"When I get my hands on Kirk I swear to God I will strangle him," She hissed. After walking around the center for a bit, she realized that no one was even around except for her and the nameless nurse who seemed buried deep in paperwork. It looked like it was going to be a long mind-numbing night.

* * *

"So your sister is busy at the bars tonight?" Colleen asked as she mixed some cream and sugar into her coffee. Ryan nodded as he licked the whipped cream off the top of his own coffee. He always had a sweet tooth ever since he was a little kid, though surprisingly, he had really nice teeth and never once had a cavity.

"That's what she told me earlier today. She was carting me around as if I was some old guy who couldn't walk," Ryan grumbled as he looked up at Colleen, the low lighting of the café making her look beautiful, relaxed, and even a bit seductive. Ryan gulped at the last thought, trying to keep a level head while he drank his coffee.

"Everyone is just concerned about you, that's all. And by the way, you have a little something on your face." he furiously tried to wipe away any traces of coffee from his face, causing Colleen to laugh.

"Sorry," he muttered. She picked up a napkin and leaned in.

"Here, I've got it," she said, wiping it away from his lips. Her turned bright red and she smiled even wider.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," he gave an awkward cough and leaned back in his seat.

"So um… what made you join Starfleet?" he asked. She shrugged and crossed her arms and leaned on the table.

"I don't know, I just wanted to do something when it came to starships. I love the feeling you get when you repair a warp core, it's just… amazing." Ryan smiled and nodded a little.

"It really is an amazing feeling," he muttered. There was a small silence between them.

"So, why did you join Starfleet?" she asked. He leaned forward and took a sip of his coffee.

"Well, there was nothing for me in New York-"

"New York city? That's where you lived?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yup, born and raised there." She nodded.

"Wow, I'm from Miami," she told him.

"No kidding, I've never been there," He said.

"It's pretty nice, very warm. I've been to New York once or twice, it's very big." He nodded.

"Easy to get lost in, that's for sure." She nodded then laughed a little bit.

"I'm sorry, I totally cut you off. Why did you join Starfleet?" she asked.

"Right, well… I just didn't want to be home. I would've been out of my house at eighteen if it wasn't for Claire. When she was old enough to move out, I figured the best place for me to go would be Starfleet, so… here I am." She frowned.

"Why did you want to leave home so bad?" she asked. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I think that's more of a third date thing to talk about at the least." She laughed.

"What makes you think there would be a second date?" she asked, her eyebrows raising.

"Well, would you go on a second date with me?" he asked. She smiled and shrugged.

"I might consider it." Ryan chuckled and took hold of her hand, causing her to blush and him to smirk.

* * *

"Okay, this has got to be the most boring Friday night I have ever had," Claire snapped. The nurse looked up from her pile of paper work and shrugged.

"Maybe you shouldn't have become a doctor," she suggested. Claire sighed and scrunched her hair up before letting it fall back to being its regular length of being halfway down her back.

"Maybe, maybe I should give Captain Kirk a nice kick in the nads," she said. The nurse, whom she found out was named Jane, raised an eyebrow.

"What did you do to piss Kirk off?" she asked. Claire scoffed.

"Why does it have to be something I did?" she inquired. Jane simple gave her a look.

"What did you do?" Claire pressed her lips together before giving a heavy sigh.

"I refused to date him, or I guess his version of a date is 'meet me in bed naked,' and I'm not one to put out on a first date." Jane's eyes went wide.

"You turned down a date with Jim Kirk?" she asked. Claire gave a frustrated groan.

"Dear lord, why does everyone think I'm crazy for turning him down?" Jane gave a small laugh.

"Because you are," she told her. Claire scoffed. Maybe she was crazy. Any other girl would have killed to be in her position, and a part of her liked being in her position. However, she knew he had a track record of using women then dumping them. She knew for a fact that she would not be able to endure that sort of relationship. No matter how much she yearned to give into his offer, she refused in order to protect herself. Despite what people may have believed, her nights of fun usually ended up with her heading home alone, and the few that didn't was mostly due to the amount of alcohol that she had consumed.

"Maybe you should just sleep with him. You might even get a few perks instead of getting punished." Claire rolled her eyes.

"I would kill for a trauma patient right now," Claire muttered. As if blessed by the heavens, a sound echoed through the room as if the front door had been forced open.

"What was that?" Jane asked, paranoia settling in. Claire was startled at first, but realized that this kind of thing happened all the time while being a doctor. True, it didn't normally happen at one in the morning, but it did happen none the less.

"Chill Jane, it's probably just an emergency," Claire said, trying to soothe the petrified nurse who had begun shaking in fear. Working in an empty building in the middle of the night tended to be a little frightening. A man ran up to Claire from the main entrance.

"Are you the doctor on call?" He asked as a few more men followed from behind him. He appeared to be out of breath, but his posture and his sentence seem unaffected.

"Yes I am. What's the matter?" She asked back, noticing the men were supporting a man with long brown hair. His legs were dragging across the ground and he appeared to be unconscious. His face was hidden, but it was clear that he was injured. His arms were covered in blood and a dark wet spot on his prisoner outfit appeared to be sticking to his skin.

"This prisoner was severely wounded during a fight." The man told her as Claire realized that all these men were prison guards. The black outfits should have set her off right away, but she was too tired to really notice.

"Alright, bring him this way," Claire instructed them, leading them to one of the open rooms in the back. She flicked a light switch on and grabbed a fresh pair of gloves from out of the box on the table. The men brought the man's limp body into the room and almost threw him onto the patient's bed.

"Will that be all, ma'am?" The head officer asked as the other men inched out, trying to get to the front door.

"Yes, yes, just go. I'm sure you guys have much more important things to do than watch me fix this guy up," she said, turning to the unconscious man on the table.

"We have two men who will be waiting out front when you're finished with him. He's still a very dangerous person and I suggest that you keep him heavily sedated or restrained to the bed. Have a wonderful evening, doctor," he said, turning on his heel and leaving the room. Clair raised an eyebrow and looked down at the person on the table. She could've sworn her heart stopped. The man was none other than her brother's friend Griffin. She quickly placed him in restraints and took a step back.

"Of course you have to just get killed or whatever," she snapped. She opened up his prisoner shirt and flinched at the sight of his wounds. It looked like someone had taken a sharp object and attempted to strike him with it. In an effort to fight back, he had gotten a few really bad cuts on his arms and torso's.

"What do you need?" Jane asked.

"I need a few antibiotic shots, and some bandages. Oh, and a lot of sedatives." Jane paused before frowning.

"We're out of sedatives. We get them tomorrow morning." Claire gave a frustrated groan and began to listen to his heart.

"Alright, just get me what you can." Jane nodded and ran off to help her out. Claire grabbed a needle and began to stitch up his wound when she had cleaned it. Even she had to flinch at how deep it was. Not to mention the mass amount of bruises all over his body. Whatever he was doing, he didn't stand a chance.

"Here, I can see if I can scrounge up some sedatives if you really need them." Claire shook her head and focused on her stitching.

"No, just give him the antibiotics and get ready to help me bandage him. This is the only thing I can stitch, everything else will heal in a few hours," Claire said. There was a silence between them while Claire finished up her stitching. They quickly wrapped up the worst of the wound and Claire began to heal the smaller cuts on his arms and on his chest.

"All the antibiotics are injected. And the guards want to know when they can take him back." Claire rolled her eyes and finished wrapping his wounds.

"He just had a sharp, I don't even know what, stuck in him. He is not allowed out of this bed for at least a day. If they have a problem with it, tell them they can complain to the head of medical around here," she snapped. Jane nodded and turned back to the door, ready to tell the guards. Claire sighed and looked at her job well done. She wrote a few things on his chart and turned away to leave, only to have a hand reach out and pull her back.

"Hey!" she said, before realizing who the only person who could've grabbed her would be. Turning back, her grey eyes met his icy blue eyes, and she felt her blood freeze.

"Claire…" he muttered. His voice was weak and his grip wasn't that strong, but his face was angry and determined.

"G-Griffin," she stuttered, not sure what to make of the situation. He had betrayed her brother and almost got him killed. She tried to pull away, but the weak grip tightened to keep her from running away.

"You don't understand…" he said sadly in a raspy voice. Claire considered offering him water, but remembered the situation. What was there to understand? After everything she had heard that went down on the _Berlin_, she probably shouldn't have even treated his wounds.

"Let go of me, Griffin, or I'll scream and those guards will come running in here," Claire warned, struggling to get out of his grasp. He let go willingly, but he didn't take his eyes away from her.

"Don't look at me like that, Claire," he warned, but it didn't sound so threatening as he began coughing. Against her better judgment, Claire grabbed and empty glass and filled it halfway with water before walking over to his bed. She gently raised his head, his greasy hair slippery in her fingers, and titled the cup back slowly so he could drink.

"I heard what happened, so don't even feed me some sob story," she told him, setting the glass aside when he was done. He tried fighting the restrains, but realized it was no use.

"You don't even have the slightest clue to what happened on that ship," he said in a slightly clearer voice, though he still sounded tired and weak.

"Care to enlighten me then?" She snapped, turning to put her medical equipment away. He sighed and wanted to run a hand over his face, but the restraints stopped him from that.

"I know you don't understand. You probably never will." Claire turned toward him and watched as his eyes traced over his surroundings. Claire stepped toward him and let her eyes rest on his bandage.

"What happened?" she asked. Griffin sighed.

"It was new, I never had been on a ship like that before-"

"All of us were new Griffin, that isn't an excuse," she snapped. Griffin looked at her, their eyes meeting.

"You don't understand, I was alone. I had no friends, I was a shitty engineer, and there was nothing I could do about it. Then Captain Shay was there, and he just… he helped me," Claire crossed her arms.

"That's a poor excuse," she told him.

"You don't get it! Captain Shay… he's convincing. He knows how to get someone when they are down. I was alone, I couldn't talk to Ryan because he's always fucking busy, I had no friends, and I was nothing. A week of talking to Captain Shay I was a lieutenant, all of a sudden people were talking to me. On a starship, it's not like the Academy. I was the only new recruit on the _Berlin_, I just… I needed someone." Claire paused as she looked him over.

She didn't know Griffin as well as her brother did. It was strange seeing him so broken down, seeing him vulnerable. What happened to the cocky guy she knew in the academy? He must have died the moment he set foot on that ship. It seemed like something in everyone who entered that ship died a little. She sat on the chair next to him. His eyes watched her every movement.

"You were wrong; don't think for a second that you were right in any aspect. Life sucks, but I'm sure you'll get over it." She paused as her eyes met his. "Everyone get's lonely, Griffin. Might be when it comes to love, or friendship, or just having someone there. We all feel alone, and that sucks. We eventually feel as though we have no other choice but to give into the first thing that offers us hope, yet sometimes that thing isn't always the best solution. That's where right and wrong come in. You either hope to find something better, or you give in. Either way you're not going to end up anywhere good quickly." Griffin was silent for a moment before Claire spoke again.

"I read a lot," she explained. A small chuckle left his lips and another silence fell upon them.

"I don't think I'm wrong. I don't think I'm a bad guy," Griffin told her. Claire stood up and shrugged.

"And that is why you are," she told him. He took in a deep breath and looked away from her.

"You don't understand," he whispered. She sighed and wrote a few things on his chart before putting it down.

"No, I don't and I doubt that I ever will," she snapped, getting ready to leave.

"Just five more minutes. Give me five more minutes and you'll understand everything." Claire stopped, paused, and hesitantly took a seat next to Griffin. She knew that she shouldn't have decided to stay, not only did he betray his whole crew, attack and kill innocent people, but he also betrayed her brother. She shouldn't have stayed.

"Fine. Five minutes. Go," she told him, crossing her arms angrily. She was angrier at herself than anything else.

"Captain Shay convinced me that what we were doing was right and he gave me power. He gave me the chance to do something right and have people respect me in return. You probably don't believe me, but I was helping to create a better world for us and for our future families. We were working towards the future!" Griffin yelled out, pulling on his restrains. Claire jumped up and started for the door again.

"Go back to sleep, the sooner you get healed, the sooner you are out of here," She snapped, walking away. He heard nothing from her except the sound of her boots walking away.

* * *

"Are you mad you didn't get to have a drink tonight?" Colleen asked. Ryan shrugged as he walked next to her.

"Not really, I won't have a horrible headache in the morning," he replied. She chuckled and took his hand.

"Well, I'm glad I'm helping you out with not getting a headache." He smiled and nodded.

"I guess I owe you one," he said.

"I'm sure you'll make it up to me." Colleen gave him a crooked smile.

"Name your terms." She thought it over before she stopped walking and turned to face him.

"One good night kiss, and I'll call it even." Ryan blushed madly and looked down.

"Well, uh… Colleen. I'm not exactly-"

"I'm going to reconsider. Just kiss me," she said. Ryan sighed and leaned in, letting one of his hands rest on her cheek. Colleen's green eyes simply gazed in to stony grey as he leaned down and gently pressed his lips onto hers. His heart felt lighter, and he had quite a hard time containing the smile that made its way to his lips. When he pulled away and let his eyes trace over her gorgeous face. Her eyes were closed only for a minute before they opened, and a smile graced her own lips.

"Even?" he asked. She chuckled.

"Oh yeah, I might even throw in another date if you give me something a little better." He chuckled and leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

Jim took another sip of his drink as he tried to scope the bar out for his next woman of the night. So far he had been quite unsuccessful. Every girl he had met had either been too much of a ditz for him, or just wasn't pretty enough. He was shallow, he knew it, but he was not going to settle.

"Are you just going to stare at every girl at the bar?" McCoy asked, taking a sip of his whiskey. Jim glanced at his friend and shrugged, taking another sip of his beer.

"I'm trying to find a girl good enough for the night," Jim told him.

"Since when did you try and find? You usually just flirt with the first girl you see at a bar." Jim shot him a look and continued to look around the bar.

"Well, tonight I'm trying to find the woman I'm going to marry," Jim said. McCoy snorted and raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"You said that the last time you were in this bar, you remember what happened?" Jim flinched at the memory.

"I remember a broken nose, I also remember how lovely that blonde looks in a Starfleet uniform," Jim said, smiling at the last part. McCoy scoffed, knowing exactly which blonde he was talking about.

"Whatever, why don't you just find another blonde to bother. Hopefully this one won't have an older brother that is willing to break your nose." Jim said nothing while he searched the bar.

"I don't want to meet another blonde," Jim muttered. McCoy paused and furrowed his eyebrows at him.

"You always want to meet a blonde," McCoy said.

"Well I don't now… I'm thinking more of a brunette, or a red head." McCoy watched his friend carefully. He knew Jim better than anyone else, except maybe his mother and brother. He knew that though Jim could be shallow, he never was picky when it came to a one night stand, especially this late at night. By this point, he was willing to pick up any female species that would be willing and looked halfway decent. Yet tonight, he wouldn't even bother with an Orion, which was a shock in itself.

"Are you getting sick?" McCoy asked. Jim raised an eyebrow and looked at his friend.

"Why would you ask that?" he inquired. McCoy just shrugged.

"You've just been weird is all," he muttered. Jim shrugged and let his eyes wander around the bar once more before landing on someone. "You find a redhead?"

"No, I found a cheater," Jim snapped. McCoy followed his line of gaze and gave a disbelieving to Jim.

"What is your problem?" he asked. Jim just kept his eyes on the man, watching as he whispered something seductive into a woman's ear.

"That's Chambers, right? That's one of your doctors?" McCoy wanted to yell at him, but figured he'd might as well entertain him.

"Yes, that is. I believe his first name is Alex," McCoy told him.

"And he's dating Claire, right?" Jim asked.

"I guess, I really don't care." Jim ignored the last part and slammed his drink on the bar.

"He's cheating on his girlfriend! He's kissing some random brunette! Can you believe him?" McCoy just watched as his friend began to steam.

"Jim, who cares? It's none of your business."

"Like hell it's not! Claire-"

"Is just some chick you're flirting with. You're not dating her, you're not even friends with her. What does it matter?" he asked. Jim paused as he thought it over. He really didn't have any business butting in like that. He didn't know her, not very well anyway. He just knew that she was very keen on saying no to him, and he was very keen on trying to get her to say yes. In the end, that's all that mattered to him.

"I just… don't like him cheating on his girlfriend." McCoy raised an eyebrow.

"And that's the only reason?" he asked. Jim shot him a look.

"Yes, would there be any other reason?" McCoy simply watched his friend stare evilly at the young doctor across the way. He would be lying if he said this wasn't the first time he had gotten so defensive about something like this. He just didn't know why he was this time.

"No, I guess there wouldn't be," he muttered, going back to his drink.

* * *

Claire walked into the court hall, ready to watch the hearing of the _Berlin _crew, and sat down next to Alex. He gave her a nod and sat leaned back in her chair.

"I hardly got any sleep last night," she muttered. He pulled a bag of popcorn out of his pocket and began chewing on it.

"Me neither, I found this smoking babe at the bar, and let me tell you…" he trailed off as he began to eat more popcorn.

"You're seriously eating popcorn?" she asked in disbelief. Alex just nodded and offered her the bag.

"Want some?" He asked, completely oblivious to Claire's shock.

"No!" She snapped, grabbing the popcorn from him. He gave her a sad puppy face, causing her to glare at him.

"Please?" He asked in the most pathetic voice the he could muster up, but she just shook her head.

"It doesn't work on me, Alex. I used to do it to my brother all the time." Alex gave up trying and folded his arms angrily. Claire sighed and handed the popcorn back to him. "Fine, just eat it quickly."

"I love you, Claire-bear!" Alex said excitedly as he grabbed the popcorn back and began shoving it in his face again. She rolled her eyes and watched as more people filed in. She also watched as Captain Kirk walked in and looked around. His eyes met hers for a moment before turning to Alex and giving him a death glare. Claire's eyebrows furrowed as she turned toward Alex.

"Why is Kirk giving you that look?" she asked. Alex looked up and searched the room.

"What look?" he asked, his mouth still full of popcorn.

"The 'I'm going to kill you,' look. He seems pretty mad," she muttered. Alex paused before swallowing his food.

"You think it's the popcorn?" he asked. She paused before giving a small chuckle.

"Yes, I really think he cares if you're eating popcorn. What did you do to him?" Alex shrugged.

"Nothing. What did you do to him?" he asked.

"Why does someone always assume I've done something?" she snapped.

"Because you usually have done something," a voice said. Claire turned toward the voice and rolled her eyes.

"You are not helping Ryan," she hissed.

"Just letting you know. You are notoriously known for getting yourself in trouble," he said while sitting down next to her.

"Shouldn't you be sitting down in the front?" she asked. He shrugged.

"They never requested me, so I assume not." He paused and looked over. "You two aren't going to start making out in the middle of the hearing, that's kind of gross." Alex began to choke on the little bit of popcorn he was eating and Claire smacked his back to stop him from choking.

"Maybe we will, at least I'm getting a little action," she snapped at her brother.

"Well… actually…" Alex was soon cut off by Ryan.

"I get action too. I just went out on a date with Colleen last night," Ryan told her. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Please, I don't think that's getting any action. That's like virgin dating. I bet you didn't even make-out. It was probably sweet little kisses right?" she asked.

"That is none of your business." He snapped.

"So, you can know about my sex life, but I can't know about yours?" she asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact," he told her. Claire paused before looking back down at the center floor.

"I so missed having you around," she said sarcastically. Ryan nudged her and smiled a little.

"Love you too." Alex just shook his head at the two of them and threw a handful of popcorn at a first year cadet in the front row.

"Bulls eye!" he whispered, hitting his mark. Claire rolled her eyes and held her breath as they brought Griffin in with a wheelchair.

"When did he get hurt?" Ryan asked. Alex just glanced at Claire, who's eyes never left Griffin.

"Last night. Apparently his inmates decided to turn on him," Claire said bluntly, her eyes still glued to Griffin. Ryan glared as Griffin looked up to their seats with a pleading look.

"He deserves what he gets," Ryan mumbled, folding his arms and sinking farther into his seat, as if trying to get Griffin out of his view. Claire sighed and ran a shaky hand threw her hair. Griffin continued to stare up at the Conaway siblings, his icy blue eyes begging for forgiveness.

"Dude, he looks so sad now that he's busted. That's pathetic. He probably only did it because he thought he wasn't going to get in trouble. That's pretty lame," Alex said through a mouthful of popcorn. Ryan nodded as they pushed him up next to the rest of the prisoners who were on trial.

"He makes me sick," Ryan spat, his stony grey eyes still glaring a hole through Griffin. Just being in the same room as that _monster _upset Ryan to no end.

"Just let it go, Ryan. He's going to get what he deserves today," Claire said, trying to calm down her brother. He was fuming in his seat while Alex sat back and enjoyed the show.

"How can you say that? After what he did to me?" Ryan spat, rounding on his sister. Claire just mimicked her brother and turned to him.

"Ryan, you're a broken record. You've been hurt, but you need to let it go. The longer you let it bug you, the more it's going to bring you down," Claire explained, trying to get through to her stubborn brother. She knew that she was just like him when it came to that, but someone had to try to calm him down.

"She's right, Ry." Colleen said as she took a seat next to Ryan. Claire shot her a glare.

"I had this covered, thanks," Claire snapped. Colleen looked a little taken back and Ryan just glared at his sister.

"Don't talk to her like that, she hasn't done anything wrong!" he snapped. Claire continued to glare at him.

"Neither have I, why are you snapping at me?" she hissed.

"Because you're being rude. Colleen was just trying to be nice," Ryan told her. Claire crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's none of her business. Stop protecting her just because you're getting some." Ryan clenched his fist as his grey eyes met her own.

"I'm not protecting her. She was on the _Berlin _too. She has every right to talk about it." Claire's glare began to falter as her eyes began to water just slightly.

"And I don't? I don't matter because I wasn't there? I understand-"

"No, Claire. You don't. You have no idea what we went through on that ship. You were not responsible for the deaths of hundreds. Don't even try to think you can understand." Claire froze and turned back to the front of the hall, her eyes focusing on the back of Captain Kirk's head. Colleen gave a look at Ryan and frowned.

"Ryan, you don't have to be so harsh, she's just trying to be sympathetic." Ryan said nothing as he looked down. After a minute Claire stood up and moved a couple seats down from them and leaned back. Alex looked at her, then back to Ryan and Colleen before moving down the row to sit with Claire, who was trying to hold back her tears.

"You okay?" Alex asked hesitantly as he took a seat next to her. She nodded without saying a word, the unwanted tears starting to slip from her eyes. Alex put an arm around her and pulled her close. Claire cuddled close as she could no longer contain herself. She hated fighting with Ryan so much, but he had changed so much after getting off the _Berlin_.

"Way to be a dick," Colleen said, crossing her legs and starring down at the hearing that was just about to start.

"You don't understand," Ryan told her, running a hand through his hair.

"I have two younger sisters and a younger brother. Don't talk to me about what I do and do not understand," Colleen snapped, elbowing Ryan in the side.

"She has no right to stick up for him!" Ryan snapped back grabbing Colleen's arm.

"She was just trying to get you to calm down and shut up. You keep pushing her away because she 'doesn't understand', so help her to understand. Don't just keep repeating the same old crap over and over again. Really explain it to her. And if you have, then maybe she's right, maybe you just need to get over it and move on with your life." Colleen gently removed Ryan's hand and got up to leave.

"Why are you leaving?" Ryan asked, but Colleen didn't turn around.

"I don't date assholes," she muttered as she sought out Rupert and Liam.

"The hearing of the rouge crew members _U.S.S. Berlin_ will now begin!" Claire pulled away from Alex and gave him a smile.

"The academy board calls Captain Richard Shay to the stand." Captain Shay stood and walked forward, his greasy hair wilder than normal, and his eyes were darting all over the place.

"Captain Shay, you are charged with murder, conspiracy to murder, and treason. How do you plead?" Admiral Archer asked.

"Not guilty, I have done nothing wrong here!" Shay snapped. Admiral looked at the rest of the crew.

"Do the rest of you plead the same?" he asked. All of them nodded their heads, which caused a few cadets to whisper.

"They seriously don't think they are wrong? What's wrong with them?" Alex asked. Claire shrugged.

"You spend enough time getting told things go a certain way, you start to believe it." Alex simply looked at her while she wiped away a few tears and held her hand.

"You and your brother will make up, you always do." She nodded and continued to watch the hearing.

"Captain Shay, you gave your crew the order to fire upon an Aenar ship, and then ordered them to go after a Klingon colony. Is this correct?" Shay nodded.

"Yes sir. The Aenar ship was just a cover. They were going to take over a Starfleet colony and begin to destroy us. I had no choice." A few admirals raised an eyebrow.

"And the Klingon planet?" he asked.

"Those God damn Klingons need to be killed, that are no good for the federation," Shay hissed.

"That is not for you to decide, you were given no order to attack them. You then attacked a Starfleet ship, your own comrades, why?" Shay began to twitch a little.

"They were an interference. They were the traitors, not us. We were doing what was best of the federation. I needed to stop them." Admiral Archer simply glared down at the man.

"The way I see it, if Captain Kirk hadn't have stopped you, things would be worse off. We thank you Captain Kirk." The entire room went dead quiet. Kirk smiled and thanked the admiral as many eyes turned to Ryan. Ryan sat alone, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"I did what had to be done, Admiral Archer," Kirk said, enjoying the hero role that was placed upon him. Claire, Alex, Colleen, Rupert, and many other people who had been placed on the _Berlin_ turned to look at Ryan, who continued to sit in shock.

"Excuse me, sir, but I believe you are mistaken," Alex yelled, standing up from his seat to everyone's surprise.

"What did you say, Lieutenant?" The Admiral asked angrily. Alex swallowed and pointed at Ryan.

"Ensign Ryan Conaway started the _Berlin_ revolt and took down one of its major instigators. If it wasn't for him, the _Berlin _would have fired upon the_ Enterprise _and could have killed more members of Starfleet," Alex yelled, still pointing at Ryan who couldn't move. He had no idea how to react to everything that was going on. Claire tried to pull Alex back down, but he wouldn't budge.

"That is preposterous. Sit down, Lieutenant. I will not have you making up stories for this hearing. Captain Kirk was the one who took down Captain Shay, not Ensign Conaway," The Admiral continued, clearly very perturbed by Alex's interruption, but Alex would not sit back down.

"I was there, Admiral Archer. Ryan was about to take down Captain Shay when our away team entered the bridge. All Kirk did was fire one shot at Captain Shay while Ryan had done all the work and you're commending him! Ensign Ryan Conaway should be up there, not Captain Kirk," Alex yelled as members of security pushed into the row in which Claire and Alex were sitting. They shoved past Claire and grabbed a hold of Alex, dragging him out of the row. Claire stood up, about to say something to the guard, but the Admiral interrupted her.

"Is there anything you want to add to that, Lieutenant Conaway?" he asked. Claire paused and looked down as her eyes met Kirk's, who was watching her carefully. She looked back up at the Admiral.

"No sir. Not anything that hasn't already been said," she told him, walking out of the hall. The rest of the hall turned back to Ryan, who simply sat in his seat and watched the front of the room.

"Captain Shay, you are being stripped of your rank and are given a dishonorable discharge. You shall be sentenced, along with the rest of your crew, to prison for life. Any final words?" Shay smiled.

"Bars shall not hold me, I shall return and prove you all wrong," he told them. The hall fell silent before the crew was taken away.

* * *

"Can you believe them? How can they just give Kirk all the credit?" Rupert asked.

"So not fair, Ryan did all the hard work. Of course Kirk get's to smile pretty for the cameras," Colleen snapped.

"Well, he does have the face for it," Liam muttered. The group stopped their eating and looked at him.

"Really, Liam?" Ryan asked. Liam rolled his eyes.

"Please, even a straight guy can admit that man is a nice piece of ass," Liam defended.

"Whatever," Rupert said as he rolled his eyes. Liam shook his head and looked up, seeing Claire walk into the cafeteria.

"Claire! Over here!" he called. Ryan glanced up as his sister awkwardly made her way over to the table and sat down next to Rupert.

"Hi," she muttered.

"Hey, how is Alex?" Colleen asked. Claire shrugged.

"Fine, they won't let him out for a few more hours, but he should be alright. He's really pissed though," Claire told them.

"I bet. Poor mate was just trying to tell the truth. Of course the bloody admiral took Kirk's side. He's the fucking poster boy of Starfleet." Rupert snapped. Liam nodded.

"Well, I hope he's alright. He's such a handsome boy, it would be a shame if he had to stay in the brig for too long." Everyone turned to look at Liam.

"Seriously, can you just turn it off for a few minutes?" Ryan asked angrily as Liam shrugged.

"I've got two brains and Kirk only makes me think with one. Get over it, Ryan." Silence fell over the table as Ryan ran a hand through his hair. That's all he'd been hearing over and over again.

"Claire, can I talk to you?" Ryan asked, standing up from the table. Claire nodded and followed her brother outside. Once they found a bench, they took a seat. Claire gazed at her brother as he put two fingers to his temples.

"What's up, Ryan?" Claire asked, a little more coldly than she would have liked. She couldn't help it though; she was still hurting from their conversation earlier, though it was clear to her that Ryan was hurting too.

"I'm going to give it a shot. I'm going to try to get over it, but I'm not the same Ryan that I was a month ago. Things happened and… I can't just go home and play with my car to feel better. This really struck a chord deep inside, Claire." Claire nodded and put a hand on her brother's shoulder. It was dark where they were sitting and she couldn't see the tears that he was letting slip, nor the black bags under his eyes.

"I know, Ry, but-" Ryan grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him, surprising her.

"Don't say it. I know what I have to do, Claire-bear. I'm going back to the Academy to figure out my life. This thing with Griffin and the _Berlin_ revolt changed me and now I need to try to figure out myself again. I thought I knew what I wanted, but I don't anymore. And I don't want to keep hurting you over and over again while I'm trying to find out." Claire frowned and hugged him, finally feeling the tears falling on her shoulder. She took a deep breath and hugged him tighter. Things were going to be different, he was going to be different. She could only hope it was for the best.

* * *

"So… you're staying? How can you just stay at Starfleet?" Colleen asked. Ryan sighed and looked down at her.

"I need some time to think, and switching my field will give me time to sort everything out. I'll be back on a ship in no time," Ryan told her.

"You love engineering, you told me so," she argued. She didn't like him simply giving up and falling back into Starfleet, but in a small way, she understood.

"I know… I just. I can't even look at a machine without thinking of him." Colleen frowned but nodded.

"So, what field are you switching to?" she asked.

"I was thinking security, so I can protect people. I heard you and a few others were placed onto the _Enterprise_." Colleen paused then smiled.

"Yeah, pretty much the whole gang, Liam, Rupert, and I. I even heard a rumor that Oliver is up there somewhere. I haven't seen him at all," she said.

"Neither have I. That's cool though, at least you know people there," he told her. She nodded and took her hand in his.

"Promise you won't change too much. I kind of liked who you were, if you took away how much of a jerk you could be." Ryan smiled and placed a hand on her cheek.

"Well, since you asked so nicely…" he whispered, leaning down and kissing her softly.

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

_**Jeck: **Wasn't that lovely?_  
_**Raxsah:** No suspense, no cliffhanger. Lot's of drama. We are quite good at the drama part._  
_**Jeck: **We've got so much of it in our lives, we need to pass it off somehow… somehow, my brain sounds that sounds dirty…_  
_**Raxsah: **You are a very dirty person. It doesn't surprise me. Hahahahahahaha!_  
_**Jeck: **You can't call me a dirty person, because you didn't read the whole thing! (lol It doesn't sound as funny when I say it…)_  
_**Raxsah:** Only B-Fay can say it and make us choke on our food. But anyway, We have Reviews to answer._

**WhatsGoingOn:  
**_**Raxsah: **We are working on the more Kirk and Claire stuff. We didn't want them to just start randomly having them make-out. That'd be too forward.  
__**Jeck: **We're actually just starting to work on the lemon for them. Which is like 200 pages from now. Lol_

**Parallel Days  
**_**Jeck:** Raxsah did you hear that? We got ourselves a fan girl! :D There we be more Kirk and Claire in the future, not to worry. And yeah, Alice in Wonderland was the shit. Can't deny that.  
__**Raxsah:** I always wanted a Fan girl. Anyway, Kirk and Claire will come about soon enough. Believe me, I couldn't wait to start writing it, so I can't imagine what it must be like to read it. I loved Alice in Wonderland, we should see it again, but in 2D._

**Loudmist  
**_**Raxsah: **We love new readers. Welcome aboard. Kirk's lines are pretty funny. Most of them are Jeck's though, so thank her. The whole Alex and Claire thing is interesting. We're not going to divulge who ends up with who though. That would ruin our fun.  
__**Jeck: **We seriously sit around and brainstorm ideas. A lot of our funnier ideas come from random conversations. So keep enjoying it! :D If you like it so far, you'll love it later._

_**Jeck: **Not much else to say except review! Tell us what you like, what you hate, and what else you'd like to see!  
__**Raxsah: **Yup, we'll take it into consideration and write you back. We don't have much else to do… except homework.  
__**Jeck: **Oh, we do that now?  
__**Raxsah:** Well… we should be doing homework. Not that we actually are.  
__**Jeck: **Or care enough. Our priority is writing this story. Updating? Not so much.  
__**Raxsah: **We get forgetful after a bit. We have very busy social lives, and when we do remember and it's been two weeks.  
__**Jeck: **And the funny part is we end up writing together almost every night. Seriously, we're almost done the story (well, kinda).  
__**Raxsah:** Not really… We still have a hundred pages to go.  
__**Jeck: **Compared to the 250 we've already written…  
__**Raxsah:** Yeah, so review and all that good stuff. Hope you enjoyed it.  
__**Jeck:** This is Jeck and Raxsah signing off. (I love saying that)  
__**Raxsah: **Later pudding pops!_


	6. Gives You Hell

_**Jeck: **__I'll shish your kabob.  
__**Raxsah: **__You wish you could shish my kabob. I'll need a lobster dinner first.  
__**Jeck: **__I'll get right on that. For the record folks, we're not together. We'd probably be like power couple of the centaury, but it's not happening.  
__**Raxsah:**__ No, we are not. I have the tendency to like men. Thus the Chris Pine infatuation.  
__**Jeck: **__And I have a tendency to like women. Hence the fact that I like vagina. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Nah? Really? Anyway, Welcome back folks, hope you are enjoying spring!  
__**Jeck: **__My allergies sure as hell aren't. But we've been busy little workers, workin' on the story. Almost 300 pages now!  
__**Raxsah: **__Almost, and we're still not close to the end. Well… we're in the last stage. Hopefully we won't rush through it just to finish it.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, we've got a few things we really need to work out first. But the end is near. Well, for us. We need to get our butts in gear and update more.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, we're in that nasty habit of getting distracted with school, and prom… ugh… prom. We should go to the movies this weekend.  
__**Jeck: **__Why don't you ask your mom or brother or something to go? My ass doesn't spew money, you know. Though that'd be cool…  
__**Raxsah: **__Totally would. Le Sigh. I guess no movies then. Anyway, back to this chapter. It is very, very long. Like… over twenty pages long.  
__**Jeck: **__Though it's not very long compared to the whole story. Either way, you should read it. We write for ourselves, but we enjoy it when we know you're readying as well. At least I do.  
__**Raxsah: **__I do too. Oh, just so you know, there is a warning for this chapter, due to the small LEMON! Oh, that's right… we have a Lemon.  
__**Jeck: **__Oh yes, the lemon. This is a new experience for Raxsah. Say nice things to her.  
__**Raxsah: **__Except I didn't even help with this one. You totally sprung that on me randomly. Not fair man!  
__**Jeck: **__Oh yeah, it was that one. That was fun. I just wish I could've seen your face when you read it. I took the story for awhile and sent it back to her without telling her what I was doing. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Not fun, because I was so not expecting it. Anyway, We obviously don't own Star Trek, or anything from Star Trek. We just own the OC's.  
__**Jeck: **__And the plot. And the lemon. And Raxsah's vagina. ;D  
__**Raxsah: **__Psh… we're not talking about my vagina. Enjoy the story folks._

* * *

Chapter 6: Gives You Hell

* * *

Life never seemed to stand still on the _Enterprise._ Either they were on some sort of major mission, or there was some major drama going between the crew. As of this moment, there was no major missions that Claire was aware of, so that only meant that some sort of drama was about to unfold.

"Claire!" A voice hissed in her ear. She turned away from her computer and furrowed her eyebrows at Alex. They had only been back in space for six hours and she had no idea why he would be so mad at her.

"Alex, why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"Your friend won't leave me alone." She raised an eyebrow.

"My friend? Who are you talking about? I don't have friends, except maybe you," she replied. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Liam, you're new gay boyfriend," Alex explained. A look of realization came to her face as she looked around sickbay and let her eyes rest upon Liam. He wore the regulation Starfleet pants, but instead of the shirt, he wore the women's dress, showing his nonexistent curves.

"Oh, well… what do you want me to do about it?" she asked, turning back to her computer. Alex leaned toward her and let his lips rest near her ear.

"Get him to leave me alone. It's driving me crazy. He's your friend, talk to him." Claire turned slightly to look at him. Sure, she and Liam had talked a little while she knew him, but they weren't best friends. Not that they couldn't be. They both had a lot in common with each other and they had potential to be best friends, they just hadn't hung out enough.

"Alex, grow a pair and talk to him yourself," she snapped.

"I think, as my girlfriend, you should talk to him," Alex said. Claire sighed, she was starting to regret this whole 'pretend to be my boyfriend' thing. Especially since she was pretty much not getting anything out of the situation; Kirk still didn't leave her alone.

"I think, as your girlfriend, I should beat you for talking to me like that." He glared at her and they held each other's glares for a moment before he caved.

"Fine, be like that. Some girlfriend you are," he said, whispering the last part. Before he could walk away, she grabbed his shirt.

"You really have no room to talk, just so you know." Alex scoffed.

"If this was real, it might be different," he muttered.

"If this was real, I'd actually consider having sex with you," Claire said, more to herself than him.

"So… it's still a no?" He asked.

"Yes, it's still a no. Don't you have work to do?" She asked. He rolled his eyes and turned to go look after a patient. When he left, she turned back to her computer and continued working. She would have been lying if she said she didn't miss being on Earth. At least on earth, she had more of a chance to escape from everyone. Here, no matter which was she turned, she was always running into someone.

"Claire." Like now.

"Hey, Liam. What are you up to?" She asked, glancing up from her computer.

"Oh, nothing. So, how are things with you and Alex?" He asked, filling a few things out on his charts.

"Uh… fine, I guess. Why do you ask?" Liam shrugged and watched as Alex began taking care of a patient.

"I don't know, you guys just seem to be… distant from each other." Claire ran a hand through her ponytail and shrugged.

"We're going through a rough patch, I guess," she admitted. It was the best reason she could come up with.

"Aw, well, how about the next time you have the night off, we sit around and watch chick flicks and paint each other's nails?" Claire smiled and gave a light chuckle. She hadn't had a night like that since she was still in the academy.

"Alright, if I ever get the night off, I'll let you know," she told him. He chuckled and crossed his arms.

"So, anything interesting happening around here? It just seems to quiet," Liam muttered. Claire sighed.

"See, now that you just said that, shit's going to go down," she told him. He laughed and went back to his chart.

"You are so dramatic." Claire just shook her head.

"You'll see soon enough." There was a pause before the doors opened and the sound of someone screaming entered the sickbay.

"NO!! I NEED TO KILL HIM! HE WILL NOT OUT SMART ME!"

"Oh god…" Liam said, placing a hand to his temple with an irritated look. Claire raised an eyebrow at him as a man with disheveled clothes ran into the room. His short red hair stuck up in all directions and a look of fear crossed his bloodshot eyes. Rupert and Colleen ran into sickbay after the crazed man.

"HE'S EVIL! I MUST KILL HIM!"

"Am I missing something?" Claire asked as Rupert grabbed the angry red haired man around the waist. He easily lifted the man over his shoulder as the man began to kick and scream like a child. Colleen crossed her arms angrily.

"Oliver. We found him in one of the air docks on the ship. His been missing since the Berlin revolt," she explained as Rupert crossed the room to Liam with Oliver still struggling to get free on his shoulder.

"MR. RUFFLES IS GOING TO KILL US ALL! I NEED TO KILL HIM FIRST!"

"Please tell me you remember the medicines he was taking on the _Berlin_. We can't have him running around like this without him getting himself or all of us into trouble," Rupert asked Liam, giving him a pleading look. Truth be told, they were all quite happy to see Oliver again. However, they weren't so happy that he hadn't taken his medication for a few weeks.

"I believe so. I'll be right back." Liam left the room as Claire starred at Oliver in wonder.

"Oliver?" Claire asked, causing the crazy redhead to stop his struggle and stare up at her.

"I didn't know you were secretly a girl, Ryan. Does this make you a lesbian since you're trying to steal Colleen away from me?" Oliver asked in a completely calm manner, as if nothing in the past five minutes had really happened. A blush spread across Claire's face as Colleen walked up to Oliver and backhanded him.

"That's not Ryan, Oliver. It's his sister. And I'm his girlfriend now, psycho," she muttered as Rupert continued to hold Oliver safely on his shoulder. There was just no telling what an un-medicated Oliver could do.

"But my love… I thought what we had was speci- YOU'RE SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY, AREN'T YOU? MR. RUFFLES IS NOT AS GOOD AS HE LOOKS, MY DEAR! BABY COME BACK!"

"What the hell is with all the screaming?" Alex asked as he entered the room just as Liam came rushing in with a hypo-spray in his hand. He paused mid-rush to turn to Alex.

"Hey," he whisper in a seductive tone with a sly smile on his face. Alex took a step back, clearly creeped out by Liam's forwardness. Liam turned away and hurried back over to Oliver.

"Oh good, you've got it. Now just dope him up," Rupert said, lowering Oliver down onto a patient bed. Without a moment hesitation, Liam stabbed Oliver in the neck with the hypo spray and a small injection was heard. Oliver howled in pain, causing everyone else in the room to cover her ears. Oliver's eyes glazed over as Liam put the equipment away.

"Do I want to know?" Alex asked as he stood next to Claire, who bore the same confused look that he did.

"I don't really think that I want to know," she said bluntly as she watched Oliver. He blinked a few times and looked around the room in confusion.

"Trust me, you really don't," Colleen mumbled to them as Oliver jumped off the table and stumbled slightly.

"Ugh… where am I?" He asked, holding his head in pain.

"You're on the Starship _Enterprise_," Rupert clarified, placing a hand on his shoulder to steady him out. Oliver stopped wobbling and looked up at Rupert with a terrified look.

"The _Enterprise_? What happened to the _Berlin_?" Before anyone could reply to his question, the door to the room flung open.

"What's going on in here?" A loud voice demanded, looking around the room. He saw three doctors not doing their jobs and three other officers just standing around. He was positive that one of them wasn't even supposed to be on this ship.

"Good evening, Dr. McCoy," Liam said nervously, looking from the angry doctor to Oliver, who was still in a state of massive confusion.

"I repeat, what is going on here?" He said again, glaring at Alex, Claire, and Liam. Colleen took a step forward.

"We found an old friend of ours from the _Berlin_ hiding in the ventilation system of the _Enterprise_ and brought him here to get him checked out," she explained, leaving out the very important detail of Oliver's mental health.

"I see. I doubt it takes three doctors to examine a patient." McCoy said, still glaring at his doctors. They all looked down at their feet, getting caught red-handed by their boss.

"You're right, sir. We'll just be getting back to work then," Claire said, getting ready to head back into the main part of sickbay, but McCoy held out a hand to stop her.

"No. Alex, go get Pam. I want to see all four of you in my office. Ensigns, take this friend of yours to the bridge to the Captain and explain the situation to him. We can't just have him wandering the ship." Rupert and Colleen nodded and lead a very confused Oliver out of sickbay. Alex left to retrieve Pam while Liam and Claire followed McCoy into his office.

"You two, sit down. Let's wait for the other two doctors before we begin," he instructed as he began to glance over a few papers on his desk. Claire and Liam exchanged glances as Alex entered the room with Pam following right behind him.

"Whatever you think I did, Dr. McCoy, it wasn't me!" Pam shouted as she crossed the room to his desk. McCoy said nothing as he pointed to two empty seats. Without another word, Alex and Pam took the unoccupied seats next to Claire and Liam. Pam sat on one end and leaned forward to take a look at Liam who sat on the other end. Liam felt her eyes on him and looked across the other doctors at Pam.

"What?" He asked, as she continued to look at him. For a minute, he thought that she unconsciously licked her lips at him.

"And who are you?" She asked in a seductive voice, sending a wink his way. Liam shook his head and gave her an irritated look.

"Dr. Liam Peterson, at your service. And you're barking up the wrong tree, Hun. I don't swing that way," he announced, causing Claire and Alex to laugh. Pam's face fell as Liam's words sunk in.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Man, why are all the hot guys gay," she mumbled to herself. Alex cleared his throat from his seat next to her.

"I'm not gay," he stated, folding his arms angrily. Pam shot him a glare.

"I said hot guys," she sneer, looking at her nails and trying to blow him off.

"Well, at least I have friends!" Alex shot back, trying to defend himself against the unpopular doctor.

"I doubt that after what happened during the _Berlin_ hearing," she spat turning to face him in her seat.

"Okay, shut up. I'm sick of you fighting like little kids. You're doctors, not children. And most importantly, you're my doctors. I will not stand for your immaturity!" McCoy snapped from his desk, causing everyone to be quite. For the most part, Claire just sat in her seat and watched the scene before her play out. She wasn't in the mood for getting involved in drama today.

"Sorry, Dr. McCoy." They all said in unison. McCoy nodded and looked down at the papers on his desk again.

"I've called you all in here because I've been invited to a dinner on the _Enterprise_ to welcome a group of Andorians aboard. I've been asked to have one doctor accompany me to this dinner and I've got to decided between you four. But since Dr. Conaway is the only one who hasn't pissed me off today, she can come with me to the dinner." All eyes fell on Claire.

"Me? Why me?" She asked, pointing to herself.

"I don't like to repeat myself, Conaway. You haven't pissed me off today, so don't start now. Just say you'll join me and we can all leave," McCoy said, flipping through a few more of his papers.

"Um, sure. I guess so." McCoy nodded.

"Good. Make sure you have something formal to wear," he told her as he rose from his desk. The other doctors followed the suit and rose from their seats as well.

"When is the dinner?" Claire asked as McCoy headed for the door.

"Two weeks from now. Oh, Dr. Chambers and Dr. Beach can work the graveyard shift tonight for fighting like children. Dr. Conaway and Dr. Peterson, you guys can have the night off," McCoy told them as he pointed back to sickbay. "Well, go get to work!"

* * *

"So he gets to stay?" Claire asked as she sat across from Colleen in the dining hall. Liam was busy getting dinner with Rupert.

"Yeah, they're keeping him onboard for now. We'll be docking back on Earth in about six months, so they'll check him out then. For now, he's just a civilian living onboard," Colleen explained as she moved the chili in her bowl around with her spoon. Claire looked down into her own chili and sighed.

"I meant to apologize to you. For snapping at you during the hearing," she muttered, clearly embarrassed by her actions. Colleen just smiled sweetly at her.

"It's okay. I understand. I've got three younger siblings back home. I was older by a lot, but they were all around the same age and they fought all the time. I didn't mean to get involved." Claire smiled back and they sat in a comfortable silence until Alex came and sat down next to Claire.

"Hello," he said.

"Hey," Claire replied, taking a bite of her dinner.

"I heard you have the graveyard shift tonight, sucks man," Colleen muttered.

"Yeah, I'm not even going to talk about it," Alex muttered. Rupert and Liam sat down and Rupert almost immediately dug into his dinner. Liam, however, glanced between Alex and Claire.

"Are you two sure you are going out?" he asked suddenly. Claire paled and Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," Alex replied. Claire nodded and glanced at Colleen, who was watching her carefully.

"You guys just seem so… separate, it's really weird," Liam muttered.

"Well, we've both been so busy that it's been hard to really spend time with each other. Things will change though," Claire told him. Alex raised an eyebrow but went back to his dinner.

"Anyway, I heard that there is a huge dinner being held on the ship, they are even revamping a shuttle bay so it looks more dinner like," Colleen told them.

"I know, it's like a tricked out prom. I wish I could go," Liam muttered.

"Did you go to prom back on earth?" Colleen asked.

"I did, I brought the star of the football team as my date." Rupert chuckled.

"I bet the school was shocked." Liam laughed and shrugged.

"Not really, a school with about three hundred kids in Ohio, people tend to know these things." Colleen nodded.

"Yeah, I sort of had that. My school was bigger though. I didn't know a lot of people personally, but I knew of them. The whole school knew that my date was going to ask me out before I did. Then again, he was cute, and we had been going out for a few weeks. It was inevitable."

"I took the head cheerleader to the prom. Had some fun afterwards. You Rupert?" Alex asked, shoving some more chili in his mouth.

"I took my girlfriend of three years to the prom. I think we left in the middle of it. Too much noise," Rupert muttered. Liam glanced at Claire, who was really silent.

"What about you, Claire? How was your prom?" he asked. She continued to stare at her tray before she put her spoon down and handed Alex her pudding cup.

"Uh, honestly, I don't remember. I just remember it was held on the roof of some big hotel and fireworks went off at the end," she said, taking a sip of her drink.

"You don't remember who you went to prom with?" Colleen asked.

"Are you just saying that because you went alone?" Alex asked as he began to eat the pudding.

"No, I went with a friend. I think," she told them.

"Dudes! I just saw the most orgasmic thing since like… fucking girl on girl porn." Oliver said, sitting down. He glanced at Claire and offered a smile before looking back to his companions.

"You saw the engineering room, didn't you?" Colleen asked.

"Uh, yeah, it was fan-fucking-tastic. Dude, this place is ten times better than I thought it would be," Oliver muttered.

"It gets old after a month or two," Alex told him.

"I seriously doubt that," Oliver muttered. Alex chuckled and looked at his watch. He stood up and put all of his food on his tray.

"I've got to get going, the whole graveyard shift is going to kill me," Alex stated.

"Welcome to my world," Claire muttered, pushing away her food.

"Hey, Claire…"

"What?" she turned toward Alex, and within seconds she felt his lips against her own. His hand reached up to the back of her neck to deepen the kiss, and against her better judgment, she kissed back. He pulled away and gave her a smirk before walking away. Claire's eyes dropped from the ceiling and met with a pair of bright blue eyes. Her heart seemed to jump as she realized that he was staring at her and quickly looked away. She hoped no one at their table noticed, but that seemed to be too much of a wish.

"What was that?" Liam asked.

"I was kissing my boyfriend," Claire said, taking a sip of her water.

"I don't think that is what he was talking about," Colleen told her. Claire turned pink and looked down at her tray. There was a pause before Oliver spoke.

"Why is the Captain giving you a weird look?" he asked. Claire sighed and buried her face in her hands.

"I hate my life…" she muttered. Liam rolled his eyes.

"It's alright, we'll head back to your quarters and talk all about it," he told her.

"Okay." Liam stood up, as did Claire, and walked out the door, throwing their tray out as they did.

"I have the cutest blue nail polish, would you let me polish your nails?" Liam asked as they walked to the lift.

"Yeah, no problem. I think I actually have some orange nail polish." Liam smiled widely and they entered the lift. Right before the doors closed someone slipped through, and Claire had to avert her eyes away from the Captain.

"Hello." Liam smiled widely and waved.

"Hey," Liam replied. Claire simply crossed her arms and attempted to move closer to Liam.

"Hi, Claire… how have you been?" Kirk asked, his eyes focused right on her.

"Fine, Captain, and you?"

"You know… you can call me Jim," he told her.

"I'll call you Jim," Liam said. Kirk looked at him and forced a polite smile.

"I'd still rather not," Claire said. He sighed and leaned against the wall right in front of her. "You are so invading my personal space."

"Why are you even with him? He's an ass."

"Liam's not an ass. You don't even know him," Claire muttered.

"You know I'm not talking about Liam, I'm talking about Chambers." Claire raised an eyebrow.

"So what if he's an ass, you are too," She said.

"There is a big difference between me and him," Kirk snapped.

"Really? Well at least he isn't constantly using women all the time. Please just leave me and Alex alone." Kirk took a deep breath.

"I don't promise commitments on women I know I won't be able to keep. Call me what you want, but I would never cheat on a woman," he told her. Time seemed to stand still as their eyes locked and she swore her heart jumped into her throat. His blue eyes seemed to be searching through her soul as he looked down at her. The lift doors opened and she looked away, not wanting to feel the strange feeling in her stomach.

"Claire…" Liam said. She looked at him and nodded.

"Excuse me, Captain Kirk…" she whispered, moving past him and out into the hallway. Liam glanced at Kirk before following her out into the hallway.

"Claire… what the hell was that about?" Liam asked. Claire shook her head.

"Don't worry about it…" Liam stepped in front of her, blocking her from walking away. She ran a hand through her hair.

"Claire, come on… I thought we were going o be friends."

"We are, I just-"

"You tell me your secret, I'll tell you mine." Claire paused before furrowing her eyebrows.

"Your secret?" she asked. He smirked, knowing he had her.

"Nope, you first." She pressed her lips together and pulled him into her quarters. She turned the light on and locked the door. "Kinky…"

"Kirk has been hitting on me since before I got on the damn ship. You know how annoying that is?" she asked.

"It's only annoying if you secretly like it," Liam told her.

"No, it's annoying regardless. Anyway, I had to find something to get him off my back. So, I asked Alex to help me." Liam looked confused for a moment before a look of realization came to his face.

"You're sleeping with Alex in order to get Kirk to stop hitting on you?" Liam shocked. Claire rolled her eyes.

"I'm not sleeping with Alex."

"Can I sleep with Alex?" Liam asked. She gave a heavy sigh.

"No, you can't sleep with Alex," She snapped.

"Why not? You're not sleeping with him…"

"He's not gay."

"You don't know that."

"He isn't. Not that I know of anyway. Look, you can't tell anyone." Liam raised an eyebrow at her.

"Claire… Kirk thinks that he is cheating on you. Once Kirk knows, everyone is going to know and that could be bad." Claire frowned and pressed her lips together.

"I know… it was stupid of me, but I was so tired and I cannot sleep with Kirk, if I do I'll just…" She trailed off and looked down. Liam furrowed his eyebrows and tried to met her gaze.

"Claire?"

"I'll talk to Alex, we'll see what happens after that." Liam nodded.

"Alright… can I still have him when you're done?" he asked.

"Maybe, depends on how good your secret is," she muttered.

"Give me an hour, I have to get a few things," Liam said, turning around and walking out the door.

"Wait! What about the secret?" she called, frowning when he didn't answer.

* * *

"Claire! Open the door!" someone called. Claire ran a hand through her wet hair and tugged on her tank top before answering the door o a very excited looking Liam.

"Hey, took you long enough," she said, letting him in.

"Sorry, I had to find Rocky," he said, putting a very large bag on her desk.

"Find who?" she asked, walking up to him.

"Alright… here is my secret. Claire… meet Rocky!" he reached into the bag and pulled out a very small puppy.

"Oh my God! He's so cute!" she said, picking up the small black puppy. He must have been about four weeks old. The top of his head all the way to his tale was black, but the underside of his muzzle all the way down his belly was a tan brown. The same color was on his paws as well, making it look like he had on brown socks. On his eyebrows he had two tan dots painted, which proudly showed his Rottweiler breed.

"Isn't he adorable? He's still a baby, but he is for the most part housebroken. Except for a few accidents." The small puppy began to reach up and lick her face, causing her to smile and kiss the puppy's head.

"He is adorable. Aww, I always wanted a puppy. Did you clear is with the Captain?" she asked, sitting on her bed with the dog. Liam gave a nervous chuckle and shifted his weight.

"Thus the reason he is a secret. Duh." Claire's eyes went wide and she looked down at Rocky, who was snuggling into her warm shirt.

"So, no one but you knows this dog is onboard?" she asked.

"You know…" She shook her head and continued to pet the small dog.

"Liam, Kirk needs to know about this! You can't have a dog on a ship unless the captain is aware of it."

"You tell him about Rocky, I'll tell him about Alex." Her jaw dropped.

"You're blackmailing me?" she asked.

"Is it working? Come on, I really don't want to get rid of him. I love him. You can't take my puppy away from me!" Claire shook her head as Rocky looked up at her with his big brown eyes.

"This is ridiculous. I can't believe you snuck a puppy onboard," she scolded, scratching the puppy behind its ear.

"Can I keep him?" Liam asked, getting down on his knees in front of her and giving her a pathetic look.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever," she said, avoiding Liam's gaze. Liam rose to his feet and clapped his hands together happily.

"Good, he's going to stay here with you!" Liam's words took a moment to sink in as Claire continued to pet the puppy. As she realized what he just said, she carefully dropped Rocky onto her bed.

"What? I said you could keep him!" She yelled, standing up to face Liam.

"I'd love to, but… you keep him."

"No, I won't keep him," Claire said, folding her arms angrily as Rocky hopped off the bed. Claire looked down to find Rocky sitting by her feet and wagging his tail happily. Her anger at Liam subsided as Rocky jumped up and placed his front to paws on her leg, smiling up at her. Claire leaned down and picked him up, causing him to bark happily.

"Well, he likes you," Liam told her. She sighed and glared at him.

"Liam… This is… I can't just." The Rocky tilted his head to the side and gave a small whine. Claire sighed and scratched his ear. "Fine, I'll take care of him," She muttered.

"Thank you! Now, can I paint your nails?" Claire rolled her eyes but sat on her bed.

"Sure, knock yourself out."

* * *

"Hey, baby," Alex said, kissing Claire's cheek. Claire rolled her eyes and smacked him with an old chart.

"Cool it, Romeo, I'm working," She snapped. Alex rolled his eyes and sat on the counter of the med station.

"You love it, you haven't gotten any in like ever." Claire turned red but said nothing.

"Don't you have work to do? We have a group of ambassadors coming aboard."

"Yeah, I heard one of them is real tight with the Captain. Riley something…"

"Riley Kline," Liam said, walking up to Claire. Alex nodded and glanced at Liam's fingernails.

"Dude… is that orange nail polish on your nails?" he asked. Liam smiled.

"Yeah, Claire painted them. Did you see hers? If it wasn't for Starfleet I'd be a nail painting God." Alex glanced at Claire's newly painted blue nails and shook his head.

"You guys are lame," he muttered.

"And you're gay," Claire retorted. Liam looked at him.

"Oh, really?" he asked, a flirtatious smirk plastered on his face.

"No! I'm not gay! I'm dating Claire," He defended. Liam just rolled his eyes and went back to his paperwork.

"Don't bother, I told him." Claire whispered. Alex shot her a look.

"I thought-"

"Chambers, get your ass off the med station and get to work!" Alex jumped off the counter just in time for a group of people to walk in.

"And this, is the ship's Sickbay, host to some of our sickest officers, and prettiest doctors," Kirk announced, walking in and shooting a smile in Claire's direction. She just used the chart to hide her from the group.

"It is protocol for all guests upon the ship to be examined in order to eliminate any sort of viral threat," Spock told them. The group distributed through Sickbay and Claire made her way to a patient bed.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Conaway, I'll be your doctor today," she said, grabbing the patients chart.

"Riley Kline, I'll be you patient today," he replied. Claire glanced up and smiled. He must have been the same age as Kirk, maybe a year older. His chocolate brown hair didn't looked to be combed, and looked as if her had just rolled out of bed, but it was short enough to work for him. His hazel eyes were warm, and he had the average build of every other Starfleet officer.

"I've heard a lot about you," she told him, getting her scanner out.

"Well, if Jim told them, it's probably not true. Unless it's about me kicking his ass in hand to hand combat training, then yes it's true." She smiled.

"Oh really? You really don't party hard all night long?" she asked. He laughed and shook his head.

"Not since I got married after graduation," he told her.

"Really? Congratulations." He nodded.

"She's currently at a space station. I think it's circling a planet called Atelo. The _Enterprise _Is dropping us off there," Riley explained as Claire took her medical equipment out.

"That's cool. Well, I'm going to start with your examination then," she told him. He nodded and opened his arms up, motioning for her to begin. She noticed that his built was similar to Kirk's build. For a moment, the butterflies that Kirk set off every time she saw him went off again.

"Go for it," he replied with a confident smile that again reminded Claire of her captain. Five minutes later, Riley stood up as Claire motioned for the next person to come over.

"You've got a clean bill of health," Claire said as began setting up her medical supplies again. Riley smiled and leaned on a wall next to where she was working.

"For my entire examination, you were staring at me as if I were a piece of meat," Riley said with his confident smile again. Claire's face heated up as a blush overtook her features.

"I was not. I was just examining you like any doctor would," she defended as another man walked over to begin his examination.

"I don't think I like doctors anymore, unless they're as pretty as you." Before Claire could reply, Kirk walked over to where they were.

"Riley, God it's been too long." Riley smiled.

"Jim, it has been too long. Have you met Doctor Conaway? She's such a sweetheart." Kirk smirked and glanced at Claire, who just dismissed her patient.

"Why yes, I have met Claire, on many occasions," Kirk told him. Riley raised an eyebrow and glanced at Claire.

"I apologize, I didn't realize-"

"Not like that, he just had a nasty habit of running into me, constantly."

"I guess I'm just drawn to you. Can you really blame me?" Kirk asked. Claire rolled her eyes and went to walk away, but was stuck between Kirk and Riley.

'_Stuck in between two really hot guys' right next to a bed. Somehow the fantasy seemed less awkward in my head,'_ Claire thought.

"Well, as an old friend, I suggest you take her out on a date immediately," Riley said.

"Why don't you ask her out?" Kirk asked. Claire debated on jumping over the medical bed to get out of the situation, but her skirt was short enough as it was, and the thought of giving them a show was not appealing.

"Well, as a married father to be, I don't think it would be very appropriate." Kirk nodded.

"I would, but she's sort of dating an asshole," Kirk told him.

"Okay, I'm leaving, excuse me," she said, moving past Kirk. Even through clothes, the simple contact of skin was enough to make her want to shiver.

"Aww, you scarred the pretty doctor away, Jim." She heard Riley call. She rolled her eyes and turned her charts in before turning and watching as Liam was staring her down.

"What?" she asked.

"Did you feed Rocky?" he asked. She raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"Yeah, of course I did. Why?" she asked.

"I feel as though I've forgotten something," he muttered.

"Did you close his cage after you were done visiting him?" She asked. He paused and his eyes went wide.

"Oh My God!" he cried, running out of the sickbay. McCoy looked up from his paper work and shot a look at Claire.

"Where is he going?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I have no idea," she muttered. He watched her for a second before speaking.

"You have Graveyard shift tonight, for lying to me." She gave a groan of annoyance before walking over to another patient.

"I hate being a doctor," she mumbled to herself.

"That's exactly what someone what's to hear before being examined by a doctor," the patient said as she started her examination.

* * *

An hour later, Claire was finally able to take a break. She sat on a patient's bed in the corner and leaned back. Her shifts were stressing her out and she was exhausted. Sickbay was mostly empty that night, save for Pam's patient who was complaining about abdominal pains.

"I feel like my liver might fall out!" He howled in pain, but Pam shook her head.

"Mr. Everett, I'm telling you that it's just gas. You need to lay off the beans," she told him as she doubled checked his medical chart.

"I don't feel so-" Before he could finish, he threw up all over Pam. Alex, who was on his way to sit next to Claire, stopped to laugh hysterically. Claire was also sent into a fit of hysterical laughing.

"Wow, that was priceless," Alex said as he pulled up chair next to Claire's bed. They continued to watch the scene before them as Mr. Everett threw up again on Pam who was wiping furiously at the tan colored vomit that was all over her person. After a moment, Mr. Everett stood up.

"Actually, I feel great now. Thanks Dr. Beach!" He said as he left sickbay. Pam merely shook her head and turned to Alex and Claire.

"I'm going to get cleaned up. If there's any patient's, can you guys take care of them until I get back," she asked weakly, realizing that she had been completely humiliated in front of her peers. Claire nodded, stifling back her laughter, but Alex wasn't as kind.

"Do you think you could wash that nasty crap on your face away? Oh wait, that's how you look everyday!" He yelled, bursting out into laughter again. Claire let out her own laugh as Pam walked away with a hurt look on her face.

"We're so mean." Alex nodded.

"Yeah… well, what do you expect?" She shrugged and they sat in a comfortable silence.

"Kirk thinks you are cheating on me," she told him. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Why?" She shrugged.

"He probably saw you bring some random chick to your place or something." Alex looked confused and then nodded.

"So, are you going to break up with me?" he asked. She paused before shrugging.

"No clue, I'll let you know though," she told him.

"Thanks for that, I'd like to know when a girl is breaking up with me."

"It does make life easier, doesn't it?" he laughed and moved so he was sitting next to her on the bed.

"Have you heard from Ryan recently?" he asked, grabbing his data pad and checking his messages.

"No, he's been really busy apparently. Maybe it's best if we don't talk though. It gives him time to think," she muttered. Alex nodded and looked over at her.

"You miss him?" he asked.

"Of course, but he has to do what he has to do." Alex nodded.

"Word." Claire looked over at Alex, who was looking at his boots.

"Hey, um… thank you," she said.

"For what?" She shrugged.

"For helping me out. For sticking up for my brother. You are an ass, but you're half decent sometimes." Alex shrugged.

"All in a days work." She smiled and watched as Riley walked in. He looked around for a little before spotting Claire and walking over to her.

"Hello, Doctor Conaway," he said.

"Hi, Ambassador Kline," she replied.

"Call me Riley," he told her.

"What can I help you with?" She asked.

"Actually, Jim and I sort of got into a arm wrestling contest, and the jerk almost broke my wrist, I was hoping you could help me out." She nodded and jumped off the bed.

"Sure, right this way." She lead him to a bed and he sat on it, holding out his wrist.

"Thank you, for helping me out." She shrugged.

"I'm a doctor, it's my job." He nodded. "Are you enjoying your stay here?" she asked.

"Yeah, Jim's always been a great buddy, so is Bones." She smiled and scanned over his wrist.

"You sound like you guys are good friends," She stated.

"Yeah, truth be told, Kirk and I started out as rivals. Anything I did, he had to do better. Eventually I just gave up and let him win." She chuckled.

"Really? I never would've thought." Riley nodded.

"Yeah, eventually we became friends. I've seen him do some stupid shit," he muttered. Claire laughed and shot some sort of vaccine in his wrist.

"This will help it heal, I'll let it sit for a minute before I wrap it up." He nodded and watched as she got her supplies ready.

"So, this boyfriend of yours… is he really an asshole?" She shot him a look.

"Did Kirk put you up to this?" she asked.

"No, but he won't shut up about how much of a jerk he is. It's really kind of annoying." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Yeah well… he's a jerk too. I pity the woman who wants to marry him," she said.

"My wife said the same thing about me. Two years later we were walking down the aisle together," he said. A small smile made his way to his face.

"You miss her?" she asked as she began to wrap his wrist up.

"You have no idea. She called me the other day and told me she was getting sick, I almost died. I need to see her and make sure she's getting better." Claire smiled at how his eyes seemed to light up.

"You must really love her." He nodded.

"She saved me. My dad just died and I was going down a really bad path, she brought me out of it and stopped me from destroying myself. I think I would die without her." Claire smiled. She wished she had a man talking about her like that, as did every other woman in the galaxy. Guys like Riley were hard to come by.

"She's a very lucky woman to have someone like yourself," Claire told him as she finished wrapping up his wrist. He tried to move it and winced, causing Claire to glare at him.

"I'm glad you think so. Maybe Kirk just needs a fine girl like yourself to help him get over his womanizing ways," Riley told her, smiling as she shot him an annoyed look.

"Are you sure he didn't put you up to that?" She asked as she put away her supplies. Riley shrugged and laughed.

"That little bit at the end he did, but the rest was just me being honest with you." Claire nodded and grabbed his patient chart.

"Right, well you're good to go," she told him as he leapt off the patient bed.

"Thanks, Dr. Conaway," he thanked her, placing a hand on her shoulder. Claire smiled.

"Please, just call me Claire."

"I'm a married man, Claire. Don't go barking up the wrong tree," Riley told her. Claire just smiled.

"I think I'm done with trees for awhile, thanks. My tree is hard enough to handle," she told him, causing both of them to laugh.

"I heard that!" A voice called out from the other room.

"Were you listening to our conversation?" Claire yelled back, her anger slowly rising at her 'boyfriend'.

"I'm in the other room, not on the other side of the ship!" He called back. Riley nodded and chuckled.

"I think I'd better go," Claire told him as her face turned red, embarrassed by Alex's actions.

"Well, I hope to see you again, Claire," Riley said as they headed for the door.

"I hope to see you again too, Riley. Hopefully just not in the sickbay under these circumstances," she said as she gave him a sincere smile. Riley was really hot and Claire's main problem was talking to hot guys, even if they were married.

"With Jim and I hanging out again, that just might be the case," Riley told her as he began chuckling again. Before Claire could reply, a loud crash rang out from the other room.

"WHERE IS CLAIRE?" A voice shouted.

"Jeez, what are you doing, Liam?" Alex asked as he helped Liam up from the table he ran into. He had a paranoid look of fear on his face and he was breathing heavily, probably from running.

"Claire, I can't find Rocky!" he screamed. Claire became pale as she walked up to him.

"What? You lost him?" she asked. Riley, against his better judgment, walked up to the group.

"Who is Rocky?" he asked. Alex nodded.

"That's what I want to know…"

"Well, he's sorta… well…" Claire trailed off.

"He's Claire's puppy!" Liam said. Claire's jaw dropped.

"What? He was your puppy first! You just pawned him off on me!" Alex rubbed his temples and looked at Claire.

"You brought a dog, on the ship?" he asked.

"No, Liam did. I just decided to keep him." Riley raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you do that?" he asked.

"Because he is so cute, I mean, I've never seen a cuter dog," She said. Liam nodded.

"Yeah, sneaky little bugger. He got out of his cage and out of her quarters, somehow. He's like… supper dog." Riley nodded and looked at Claire.

"I guess it would be too much to assume that Jim knows about this dog…" Claire nodded.

"Yeah, it would be way too much," she muttered. Riley nodded.

"Well, I guess we'll go look for him." Claire raised an eyebrow.

"You're going to help us?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, it's the least I could do, since you did fix my wrist… sort of."

"Okay, Alex, you should help too," Claire said.

"Why the hell to I have to help?" he asked.

"Because I said so, that's why!" she snapped. Alex rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Dude, you guys aren't even having sex and she still has you whipped," Liam said, chuckling ever so slightly. Before Alex could reply, Riley jumped in.

"We'll meet up back here in an hour. Let's split up into groups-"

"I call Alex!" Liam shouted, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of sickbay. Claire shook her head and looked up at Riley.

"I guess I'll go with you," she told him. He nodded.

"Alright, let's go."

* * *

Claire never realized how big the ship was until she spent a good forty-five minutes looking for a dog. She and Riley stepped into the lift and she ran bother her hands through her hair.

"Okay, we've checked everywhere. How far could that dog have gotten?" she asked. Riley paused before hitting a button.

"We haven't checked everywhere. There is still one place left." She raised an eyebrow.

"Where is that?" she asked.

"On the bridge," he answered.

"You really think that he is on the bridge? How could he have gotten there?" she asked. He shrugged.

"No clue, but I can't hurt to look." She nodded.

"Kirk isn't there right now, is he?" she asked.

"No, I'm pretty sure he is down on deck five having a drink. I believe he and Bones are trying to see if they could get Spock drunk." She raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't think Vulcan's could get drunk." He shrugged and watched as the doors to the bridge opened. It was completely empty except for two men at the helm, who she guessed to me Sulu and Chekov, the ship's helmsmen.

"What are you guys doing here?" The man that Claire presumed to be Sulu asked as they entered the bridge from the lift.

"Nothing at all, my good man," Riley said as he and Claire spread out. Chekov stood up from his post.

"You are owiously vooking for svomething, yes?" He asked. Claire hesitated before nodding. Sulu looked over the bridge and paused.

"Are you looking for a puppy?" He asked slowly, causing everyone in the room to look at him.

"How did you know?" Riley asked as the lift doors opened again.

"Riley, Claire! My two favorite people on the ship!" Kirk said in a slurred voice as he wobbled onto the deck with Bones and Spock behind him. Bones' face was red and his eyes were glazed while Spock appeared fine.

"I would be offended by that comment, Jim, but I'll just pretend I didn't hear you," Bones said as he stumbled slightly.

"Why are we even here, Captain?" Spock asked as he stood by the lift with his arms behind his back.

"I just came to… is that a puppy in my chair? There's a puppy in my chair!" Kirk howled as everyone in the room looked towards the Captain's seat. Claire was relieved to find Rocky sitting there wagging his tail. He barked at Kirk before lifting one of his legs.

"Zat is not good…" Chekov said as Kirk's face went red.

"GET THAT MUTT OUT OF HERE!" He yelled as Claire grabbed Rocky and ran towards the lift.

"Why do you have a dog aboard the _Enterprise_, Dr. Conaway?" Spock asked as Claire ran right into the lift. She ignored him as well as her better judgment and punched in the number to the floor of her room. Riley stood in the middle of the room with a shocked look on his face.

"Do you um… want me to call someone to clean that up?" He asked. Kirk ran a hand over his face as he leaned against McCoy.

"Bones, a dog just whizzed in my chair. _My Chair!_" He said. McCoy shook his head and crossed his arms.

"Damn dog, I hate dogs. You want me to neuter it?" he asked. Jim nodded.

"Yes, but don't hurt it. I like dogs." Spock raised an eyebrow.

"Captain, if it is truly your intention to persuade Dr. Conaway to go on a date with you, I would not suggest neutering her dog." Kirk's eyebrows furrowed.

"It's Claire's dog?" he asked, looking at Riley. Riley just shrugged.

"Shit happens, do you still want the dog neutered?" he asked. Kirk just sighed as he sat in his chair, causing the group of men to either hold back their laughter, or hold back their looks of disgust.

"No, I like dogs." He paused as Riley began to laugh. He then realized he was sitting in his chair and ran a hand over his face.

"Uh, dude…" Riley said.

"I just sat in dog piss, didn't I?" McCoy nodded.

"You're a dumb ass…"

* * *

"You found him!" Liam shouted as he gathered the puppy in his arms. Before Claire could reply, Alex grabbed her by her arm and let his lips linger near her ear.

"Don't ever leave me alone with him again. My cheek's hurt, and I'm not talking about the ones on my face." Claire made a face and nodded.

"Alright, I'll try." Liam kissed Rocky's head and looked at Claire.

"Where did you find him?" he asked.

"The Captain's chair. I wouldn't suggest sitting there for a while either." Liam paused before giggling.

"I love this dog. Our super dog." Claire simply sighed heavily as she took him from Liam. She went to scold him, but couldn't find herself to do it when he began licking her face. She glanced around the hallway outside of her room and noticed that neither Kirk, nor McCoy was coming to get them. She figured they must have been too preoccupied with Kirk's new seat to really care.

"Yeah well, he'll be in big trouble in the morning. Or, at least… I'll be in big trouble in the morning." Liam frowned.

"I'm sorry Claire. I didn't mean to get you in trouble." She shook her head and watched as Rocky began to fall asleep.

"Don't worry about. If I have to I'll just work graveyard shift for a few weeks." Alex nodded.

"Yeah, you better get some sleep. I'll cover your shift tonight," he told her. She smiled and nodded.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Alex nodded and kissed her cheek before walking down the hallway. Liam raised an eyebrow before petting the puppy and smiling at Claire.

"I'm sorry again Claire, goodnight!" he said before kissing her cheek and running off himself. She sighed and walked into her quarters and putting the small dog on the floor.

"You're cute, but you are a pain in the ass," she muttered, falling back on her bed. She felt the small dog jump up on her bed and curl up next to her. She smiled and scratched his ears before letting herself drift off to sleep.

* * *

When Claire woke up, she felt almost as tired as she did when she went to bed. The whole incident with Rocky the night before had left completely drained physically and emotionally. Claire went to scratch Rocky, but noticed he wasn't on her bed anymore. She shot up in bed in a panic, but noticed that Rocky was sleeping on the pillow in his cage. Claire sighed in relief and began to stretch her fatigued body. Without a second thought, Claire got up and headed for the shower. She was halfway to her bathroom with her tank top already over her head when a knock fell upon her door.

"Ugh, who is it?" Claire asked, struggling to get her tank top back on.

"It's Jim. I'm coming in," he said as the door slid open. Claire mentally cursed herself for not putting the lock command on the door as Jim walked into the room to see her half naked. He paused as the door slid closed again. Claire froze as she gave up trying to put her shirt back on.

"Were you expecting me?" Jim asked with a sneer as he crossed the room to where Claire was frozen in place. She quickly used the tank top to cover her assets and Jim just smiled, letting his eyes roam over her body freely.

"I-I didn't g-give you permission t-to e-enter my r-room!" Claire stuttered, trying to sound more demanding than she felt. Her heart was beating a mile a minute and she thought she might throw up on the spot.

"I don't think you mind it though. You looked pretty happy to see me," Jim said, gesturing to her chest. Claire's face turned scarlet as she used her tank top to smack him in the face.

"You p-pig!" She cried out, realizing that she moved her tank top. Jim just smiled and took a few steps towards her, using his sexy smile to distract her. Claire took a step back for every step he took towards her until she was backed up against the wall.

"I may be a pig, but I'm going to be the one to make you squeal," he whispered as his warm breathe caressed her lips. Claire's heartbeat sounded so loud in her ears that she was sure that Jim could hear it too. He leaned closer until his hands were covering hers, which were still trying to cover up her breasts. Without a moment's hesitation, Jim leaned in and captured Claire's lips, causing her mind to shut off. Her only thought was that his lips were so soft and his tongue was playing with her own. She wasn't even aware of herself as her own lips began to kiss back. After few minutes, Jim pulled away allowing both of them to catch their breath. Wordlessly, he pulled his own shirt over his head and tossed it to the ground. He returned to Claire and pulled her tank top out from underneath her hands.

"W-What are you-" But Jim silenced her with his lips again. Claire didn't even fight back as Jim tossed her shirt to join his on the ground. She enjoyed the feeling of warmth that washed over her body when she felt his skin against her own. She groaned into the kiss as she felt Jim's hands slide over her chest and gently squeeze her boobs in his slightly rough hands. She let her own hands wander over his rugged back and felt his abs flex under her fingertips. She moaned as his fingers tenderly began to tweak her nipples, causing her to pull away from his mouth and sigh in absolute pleasure.

"Do you like that?" Jim whispered to her as he began kicking his boots off, his hands never stopping what they were doing. When he was done, he pulled his hands away and leaned down to take one of Claire's nipples in his mouth. Her breathing sped up and she began to moan.

"Oh, Jim. Don't stop," she moaned as she felt his fingertips on the end of her short shorts. All thought of what they were doing was wrong left her mind when she felt him jerk them, along with her panties, down around past her knees, never stopping his mouth on her one nipple and his hand kneading her other breast.

"Trust me, I wasn't planning on it," he replied between breaths as he continued his assault on her chest. His free hand began struggling to undo his own belt, but his focus never left Claire. She arched her back, trying to get his face even closer if possible. She felt him smile into her breast and considered smacking him, but she felt like his hands were all over her body and she couldn't focus on a single thought. She heard some jingling and realized that Jim's belt finally came undone and he dropped it to the floor with his pants. He kicked them to the side and turned back to Claire. He withdrew his mouth from her nipple and looked up into her grey eyes. His blue eyes held so much passion as he lead her back to her bed. She fell backwards as Jim's muscular body lay on top on her smaller and much more feminine frame. Her skin was on fire as she felt his bulge from his grey underwear right over her womanhood.

"Jim…" She moaned as he pressed his pelvis into hers, causing them both to moan. She began unconsciously thrusting into Jim, causing him to groan.

"I need you, Claire," he told her using both hands to slide his underwear off. Claire blushed and looked up, trying to avoid looking at Jim's little 'captain'. Jim chuckled as he leaned back down to Claire, his penis hard against her warm trembling thighs.

"I promise that I'll go slow," he said as he entered her, causing her face to scrunch up in the brief pain the followed. Jim leaned down and kissed her again, trying to distract her from the pain he had caused. Just as Claire was about to say something, Jim began to slowly thrust in and out of her. She went from feeling a little bit of pain to feel nothing, but ecstasy.

"Ugh, Jim, harder," she cried out as Jim grunts from above her made her even hotter. She ran a hand through his hair as droplets of sweat rolled down both their bodies. She felt a pressure began to build up in her stomach as Jim sped up his pace. She was grinding back against his hips as she was filled with feelings of pure bliss. Her breath was erratic as she felt herself getting closer to her release. Jim smiled as he felt her writhe beneath him, giving him an extra boost of energy to began pushing deeper inside of her, causing her to gasp for air. Jim leaned down to her ear, his breath like fire against her skin as she quaked under him.

"I love you," he whispered. She gasped as his hands returned to work on her chest, running his hands over her overly sensitive nipples and sending shivers down her spine. Claire felt like she was on cloud nine as her inner walls began to throb on Jim's manhood, pushing them both over the edge.

"JIM!!!!!" She cried out in as she came, riding out her orgasm with Jim.

* * *

Claire shot up in bed, startling Rocky who had been nuzzling her breast while she was sleeping. She was panting very heavily and her whole body was covered in sweat. Rocky whined as Claire shoed him off the bed and she let everything sink in. She just had a sex dream about none other than Captain Kirk.

"Claire! Wake up! We need you in sickbay!" She heard Alex's voice and ran a hand through her hair.

"I'll be there in a second," she replied. She quickly slipped a new uniform on and tied her hair up. Once Rocky was in his cage she walked outside her room, almost falling to the side when the ship jerked.

"_Red alert! All hands to your stations, we are under attack!_" she heard Spock's smooth voice call. At this point, she was running to sickbay, only to find that all the doctors were running around like crazy. She ran up to Liam and Alex and helped them set up a hover bed.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked.

"You slept in, that's what. How do you sleep in till 1400 hours?" Alex asked.

"Sorry, what happened?" she asked.

"We docked at the space station twenty minutes ago, now the station and us are being under attack by fucking Romulans. The station is falling apart and we need to beam out our guys immediately and whoever else we can get." Claire nodded as McCoy walked over to her.

"Conaway, get your medical kit, you're coming with us to the transporter!" he said. She nodded and followed him and a group of people to the transporter room.

"We should have patients coming in a second, it's a little difficult to beam them out." Scotty said. McCoy nodded and sent a small group of people off with the doctors. A small group was beamed aboard and Pam took the one with the worst injuries up to sickbay immediately.

"Who are we missing?" Alex asked.

"A Ambassador, Riley, and Jim." McCoy answered. The ship shook again and the doctors braced themselves.

"I've got two now, ready to beam them up." Scotty said. A second later, a bloody Riley and a pretty banged up Ambassador appeared in front of them.

"Peterson, Chambers, take them up!" McCoy snapped. Before they could move Riley looked around.

"Where is he? Where did he go?" he asked.

"Who?" McCoy asked.

"Jim? Amy fell behind, he said he would get her!" McCoy frowned.

"We'll find him, you need to get to sickbay Riley." Riley shook his head.

"NO! I'm not leaving without her. I can't! Leonard, don't make me leave her!" McCoy frowned as he saw Alex give him a sedative.

"Sorry, Riley. Get them to sickbay!" he snapped.

"I've got another, I'm beaming them now," Scotty said as the other two left the room. A second later an unconscious woman was laying on the floor, she had a pretty bad gash to her abdomen and was losing blood fast.

"Shit!" McCoy muttered. He looked her over before putting her on the medical bed.

"I need to get her to sickbay. When Kirk comes back you need to examine him. If he has any problems, Nurse Chapel will help you take him up." Claire paled.

"Y-you want me to examine the Captain?" she asked.

"Is there a problem with that?" he snapped. She shook her head.

"No sir." McCoy left the room and Claire walked over to Scotty, who was looking at the space station.

"I need to find him, there was already a great explosion and the structure won't hold for long." Claire looked around the layout.

"Was he near the explosion?" Scotty paused before checking around the area.

"I think I've got him. Hopefully I can get him out of there before the thing explodes." Claire shot him a look.

"That's reassuring," she muttered. Claire watched as a figure began to appear on the ground right before it blew up. Everyone held their breath while the figure began to become clear, and they all sighed when they realized it was in fact the Captain. Claire ran up to him and noticed he had many cuts and bruises, and was unconscious.

"I need a bed!" she called. Nurse Chapel nodded and brought over a hover bed. They got the captain on the bed and walked him to the lift, only pausing when the ship shook violently again.

"Shit, he needs to get to sickbay immediately," Claire muttered once she was finished her scan.

"The lift isn't working, what's wrong?" Scotty came up and messed with a few buttons before sighing.

"It must have been damaged," He muttered.

"He needs surgery, it looks like a piece of metal hit his appendix."

"How close is the next lift?" Nurse Chapel asked.

"About ten minutes from here, can he make it?" Scotty asked.

"Yeah, he should be able to-"

"No! He won't," Claire hissed. She reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of gloves and her surgical cap.

"What do you mean?"

"His appendix has burst. He has twenty minutes at the most. I need to perform surgery in order to save him."

"Maybe it would be better if Doctor McCoy did it. He is a more experienced doctor and has had some experience with surgery," Nurse Chapel said.

"Okay, you can go bring him down here, but I need to operate on him right now! Personally I wouldn't want to have the Captain of the _Enterprise's _death on my conscious, but go ahead." Nurse Chapel paused before putting on her own pair of gloves.

"Scotty, go get Doctor McCoy and tell him we need him, immediately."

"Okay," Scotty muttered before taking off. Nurse Chapel watched as Claire ripped open the captain's shirt and grabbed her scalpel.

"I hope you know what you are doing," she muttered.

"I do to," Claire replied as she cut into him.

* * *

Scotty pumped his legs as fast as he could as he entered sickbay.

"McCoy!" he screamed. McCoy turned around for his patient, a frown plastered on his face as the nurse laid a blanket over the woman's face.

"What Scotty?" he asked.

"It's Captain Kirk…" McCoy raised an eyebrow.

"What about him?" he asked.

"Well sir, he need surgery," he answered.

"Then why in Gods name is he not up here?" he asked.

"It's a long story sir, but basically that doctor and Nurse Chapel had to operate in the middle of the hallway," he answered.

"What? Conaway hasn't operated before, she could kill him!" McCoy said as Scotty nodded.

"That's why I'm here getting you!" He shouted as McCoy nodded. He looked down at the woman and sighed.

"I can't save her anyway. Nurse Trainer, try to alleviate the pain as much as you can as she dies. I need to save the Captain," McCoy instructed as he took off running to help out Claire.

* * *

"Here, Nurse Chapel. I need you to dispose of his appendix. He's in the safe zone now, I just need McCoy here to-"

"Dr. Conaway!" Claire and Nurse Chapel looked up as Dr. McCoy and Scotty entered the room. McCoy pushed past Nurse Chapel who merely stood there holding Kirk's oozing appendix in her hands.

"Dr. McCoy, I removed the piece of metal that had pierced the Captain in his appendix and I just finished surgically removing it. I haven't had a chance to close up yet because I wanted to make sure I did everything right." McCoy nodded as he began inspecting Kirk's side.

"Well, it looks pretty clean to me. We can sew him up and get him up to sickbay to flush out his system. Dr. Conaway… Claire, you just saved Jim's life." McCoy said as he placed a bloody glove on Claire's shoulder in a proud way. Claire wanted to cringe in disgust, but she figured that this was a once in a lifetime moment that she was having with McCoy. She just saved his best friend, no, his non-blood related brother.

"I did my best, Dr. McCoy," she said proudly as they began moving Kirk up to sickbay.

* * *

"You saved that bastard's life? Good job!" Alex said proudly to Claire as she collapsed into a chair in the corner of sickbay. Kirk was hooked up to an IV that was flushing any potentially dangerous fluids out of his body while Amy, Riley's wife, was covered in a white sheet. Riley was currently in surgery with McCoy while the Ambassador got cleared out of sickbay a few minutes ago.

"Thanks. I was so nervous that I was going to mess up and do something wrong, but I remember reading about an appendectomy back at the academy and how it's a common procedure of any Starfleet Surgeon," Claire explained, looking over at Kirk. His breathing was regular, though his face was hooked up with an oxygen mask just in case. She still couldn't shake her dream from that morning, making her feel awkward at just being in the same room with him.

"Either way, you did good today. It's just a shame that Riley's wife wasn't able to make it. Both her and the baby," Alex said sadly as Liam sat down next to the couple.

"Dr. McCoy just got out of surgery. Riley is going to make it," he informed them as they saw McCoy exit the room where he was performing Riley's surgery.

"Did one of you put Mrs. Kline's death on record?" He asked in tired voice. Alex nodded.

"I did, sir. I put both her and the baby's death on record." McCoy nodded and headed over to where Kirk lay.

"I'll be on the graveyard shift tonight, so you three and Dr. Beach have the night off. Nurse Chapel and Nurse Trainer can handle taking care of Riley," McCoy told them as he looked down at his best friend. Alex and Liam headed for the doorway, but Claire headed over to where McCoy sat.

"I know how you feel, Dr. McCoy. I remember seeing my brother when we saved him from the Berlin. Captain Kirk is a fighter, he'll be okay," Claire told him, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. It was awkward to be the one comforting the man who was like her mentor, but she really did know how it felt. Hesitantly, McCoy put a hand on top of hers.

"Thank you, Claire. Jim always was the one who got the shit beat out of him all the time. I was surprised when he came back from missions and wasn't in sickbay," he explained. Claire smiled, but McCoy pulled his hand away and stood up. "This is the last time you'll see that side of me, Dr. Conaway. I suggest you go take advantage of your night off."

"Yes sir," She muttered. She sent a look toward Kirk before walking out of sickbay to get some food, and some rest.

_

* * *

_

'This has got to be the worst feeling in the world,'

Jim thought. His eyes opened and he was met with a very bright light. A groan made it past his lips as he shifted slightly in his bed.

"Stop moving around so much, you're going to reopen your stitches," a voice snapped. Jim looked over into the tired face of Leonard McCoy, who was checking over his vitals.

"Shit, what the hell happened?" he asked.

"Well, you, being the idiot that you are, just had to go back into the fire to save someone that was not there. The ship exploded, causing a piece of metal to get lodged in your appendix, which had to be removed. You've been asleep all night, it's now ten thirty in the morning, and now you are sitting in bed, which you will be expected to stay for a few days," he informed. The doors opened and McCoy glanced at the door just in time to see three of his doctors walk in, looking slightly more rested than the night before.

"Wow, I don't have an appendix anymore?" Kirk asked, lifting his medical shirt and scrunching his nose at his stitches.

"No, you don't. It had to be removed, if it wasn't, you wouldn't be here right now." Kirk put his shirt back down and gave a small smile at his friend.

"I guess I owe you one, eh Bones?" he asked. McCoy shook his head.

"Nope, I want' the one who operated on you," he said. Kirk's eyebrows furrowed.

"Then who did?" he asked. Before McCoy could answer, they saw Liam and Alex push Claire over to the bed. She stumbled a bit and turned red when she realized the two men were giving her looks.

"You were asking for me, Doctor McCoy…" He nodded and handed her Jim's patient chart.

"Your surgery, your patient," he said. She took it with a shaking hand and looked down. Kirk's eyebrows raised when he realized it was Claire who had saved him.

"T-thanks, sir…" she muttered. McCoy nodded then looked at Kirk, who ran a hand over his face.

"I need some rest, Conaway will take care of you," he said. He then left, leaving Claire to examine him herself. She sighed and pulled out her scanner, trying her best to avoid looking at him while she did her job. After a minute of silence, he spoke.

"So, I guess I owe you one," he muttered. She looked up, her eyes meeting his. Bad move. She instantly looked back down.

"For what?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Saving my life, I suppose…" He said. She ran a hand through her hair and pulled out her stethoscope. "Do you need me to take off my shirt?" he asked. As soon as the words left his mouth she turned bright red and shook her head vigorously.

"N-no, no. This will be fine," she said. She paused as she listened to his heart, and looked up at him. The simple glance at his blue eyes made her heart beat out of control, and she could hardly hear his heartbeat over her own. She pulled away.

"Am I alright?" he asked. She nodded.

"You'll be just fine. Just need some time for the wound to heal, and your system to be flushed from any bacteria." He nodded and watched as she wrote a few things on his chart.

"So, how would you liked to be thanked?" she raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well, I could probably get you a few days of work. Or, my personal favorite. I could meet you back at your room and thank you personally," he said. Her pen almost fell out of her hand and she tried to swallow the lump in her throat as the memory of her dream resurfaced.

"N-n-no, th-that's o-okay," she stuttered. Jim smirked as he saw her turn bright red. He secretly wondered what had happened in the past two days that was making her act the way she was. He could only hope he hadn't done something while he was drunk. He would've rather remembered it if he did. She walked over and checked something out on his monitor and he caught a whiff of her perfume. It wasn't strong, but it was sweet, and reminded him of berry's and cream.

"I owe you though, is there nothing I could do to make it up to you?" he asked. She paused before turning to him.

"Can I keep Rocky?" she asked. He gave her a confused look before he figured out what she was talking about.

"The dog?" he asked. She nodded and sat down in a chair near his bed.

"Yeah, I know he sort of… had an accident in your chair, but he really is a good dog, and it's nice to come home with someone waiting for you." He smirked.

"I could be waiting for you," he told her. She blushed but tried to stay on task.

"Please, I would make sure he stays out of trouble," he said. He sighed and shook his head.

"I was going to let you keep the dog anyway," he said. She looked at him confused.

"Really? I didn't think you would." He shrugged.

"I had a dog back home. Loved that thing. He died when I was thirteen," he muttered. Claire frowned.

"Sorry to hear that," she muttered.

"He was twelve years old, he was pretty old. My mom only got him so we wouldn't feel so alone when she went off planet," he told her. She nodded.

"My parent's never let me have a real pet. I think they gave me a fish. Which died two days later," she said. He raised an eyebrow.

"How did you kill a fish?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Apparently it's a bad idea to give Nemo a bubble bath. Ryan and I found that out the hard way," she said. Jim nodded and smiled, but it wasn't like his normal smiles. Instead of being cocky and seductive, it was sweet and sincere. Still, it didn't stop Claire's heart from beating out of control.

"Well, sometimes we have to learn things the hard way," he told her as he tried to sit up.

"Please, don't sit up. I don't know what it is about men thinking that they're alright after getting really badly injured," Claire said, pushing the captain back down. Jim sighed.

"Speaking from experience?"

"My brother was in here after the _Berlin_, remember?" She reminded him as she glanced over his chart again.

"How could I forget? I've been beating myself up about how Ryan didn't get recognized during the hearing," Jim admitted, looking up at the ceiling. Claire looked up from his chart to see that the captain wasn't being sarcastic about it or anything.

"You could have said something, since the hero light was on you," she suggested, trying to defend her brother. In that moment, she realized that she hadn't talked to him in awhile. He'd been so determined to change himself and she'd been so busy dealing with all the drama that came with serving on the _Enterprise_.

"I've learned to just go with things. Besides, Ryan didn't seem like he wanted the spotlight anyway," Jim said in his own defense.

"I don't think he did, but he was kind of bummed that no one recognized what he did. His best friend betrayed him and he walked away with nothing but a few scars," Claire informed him, trying to catch him up on everything that had occurred.

"You're right. I think once I get out of here, I'll call up your brother and apologize. If it wasn't for him, more lives could have been lost before the _Berlin_ was subdued," he said. Claire paused, surprised that Jim was actually agreeing with her.

"Thank you, Jim," she said, though she still found it slightly awkward talking to man of her dreams, in a literal sense.

"I'm glad I didn't have to ask you to call me that this time," he said to her, reverting back to his seductive tone.

"Well, I'm certainly beginning to regret it," she muttered.

"Really? I mean, you could call me 'Captain' all the time. Actually, that might sound better during sex," he said, a large smirk plastered on his lips. She rolled her eyes immediately and gave a sigh.

"Are you always this much of a pig?" she muttered, walking over to put his chart next to his bed.

"Only if it gets you to squeal," he said. She almost fell over right then and there, but stopped herself by grabbing onto the side of the bed. "Jesus, you alright?" he asked.

"Y-yeah! Just great! I, um… I have other p-patients and um…" she turned around, but as soon as she did she heard the sound of glass shattering and she looked over to see Alex trying to get Riley to get back in bed.

"Mr. Kline, I need you to-"

"I need to see my wife, where is she?" he shouted. Alex glanced over and Liam went to help him out.

"Mr. Kline, I'm sorry but I have to ask you to-" he shoved both of them away and walked over to his wife's bed, almost falling over when he saw the white sheet over her body. He carefully removed it and ears began pouring down his cheeks as he saw her face.

"Amy, no… God. NO!" he screamed. She fell to the bed and Nurse Chapel stepped forward, whispering a few words in his ear.

"What's going on?" Jim asked. She couldn't find the words to speak as she saw Riley practically fall apart in front of the entire sickbay. All of a sudden his head shot up and he marched over to her.

"Where is he? Where the hell is Kirk?" he shouted.

"Riley, just take a deep breath…" he pushed her aside and grabbed Kirks shirt.

"You son of a bitch! You let her die!" he shouted.

"I went back for her," Kirk defended.

"She's dead because of you! You killed her and my child! You son of a bitch! I should've never trusted you!" he raised his fist and punched Kirk out of the bed, which caused doctors everywhere to abandon their patients to try and help. Before even Claire could get to either of them, Kirk stood up and Riley dived after him. Both of them got some good punches in before Riley was pulled off of him by Alex and Liam. Claire rushed to Kirk and saw his side was a little bloody, which was a sure sign his stitches had opened slightly.

"You mother fucker! I fucking hate you! I'm going to make your life fucking miserable from taking her from me. You were fucking jealous, so you're trying to get back at me. You asshole. I hate you!" Riley screamed.

"Damn it, Alex! Sedate him!" Claire shouted, helping Kirk get back on the bed. Alex nodded and they dragged him to his bed, making sure he was sedated. Claire lifted his shirt and shook her head at the stitches.

"Fuck." she gave him a small frown and began to fix the damage.

"Sorry, I'll give you some morphine to numb the pain," she told him. He nodded and watched as she stitched him back up.

"Is she… you know." Claire nodded and finished her stitching. "When?"

"Last night, she was hurt pretty bad. It would've taken a miracle to save her." He nodded and leaned against his pillow.

"Damn… I knew I should've gone the other way," he muttered.

"It wasn't your fault, these things happen," She told him.

"I practically killed one of my best friend's wife. What am I supposed to do about that?" he asked. She frowned as she wrapped up his wound.

"Mourn, then move on," she told him.

"Easier said than done…" he whispered. She nodded.

"Always is."

* * *

_**Raxsah: **__Oh snap, we are at the end? Wasn't this a fun chapter???  
__**Jeck: **__Press 1 for yes. Press 2 for no. Press if dyslexic 12 you're.  
__**Raxsah: **__Everyone can't see it, but I'm giving you the look right about now.  
__**Jeck: **__You can see it right now, but I'm massaging the inside of your thigh with my foot. Does it feel good?  
__**Raxsah: **__It feels very weird, thank you for stopping. Anyway, I believe we had a few reviews._

_WhatsGoingOn  
__**Jeck: **__Not to worry, we'll always update. It might not be for awhile, but we will. And yes, it is so good. Right now what I'm doing to Raxsah is so good. ;D  
__**Raxsah: **__I think that's a matter of opinion. But yay for updating!_

_Parallel Days  
__**Raxsah: **__Best one? Hmm, I think this one was the best one so far. So many good one liners in it. I'm sure the guy at DC thinks you're a creeper. But the best part about strangers is that you will never see them again. Randomness is fine, randomness keeps our story going sometimes.  
__**Jeck: **__Alexis? I think you might be a little confused. This is Claire and Ryan Conaway, my friend. The fact that you review makes my day. :D Randomness and fun stories is the best part._

_**Jeck: **__Fact: I'm molesting Raxsah right now. Crap: She's not enjoying it.  
__**Raxsah**__: __Fact: Jeck is annoying the shit out of me. Crap: This is fun.  
__**Jeck**__: __Fact: This is the end of the story. Crap: There won't be more. Fact: I like a challenge. Crap: Raxsah isn't getting off on this. ;D  
__**Raxsah: **__You know what, shut your dirty whore mouth! And stop touching me!  
__**Jeck: **__You haven't said the magic word! And I already fed you cookies! A little fun can't hurt.  
__**Raxsah: **__Penis only! Ugh… we hoped you enjoyed the story. We enjoyed writing it. Well, most of it.  
__**Jeck: **__I enjoyed writing it, I don't know what you're talking about. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some spelunking to do.  
__**Raxsah: **__… Reviews are nice. So is everything else. Jeck, your foot up my Vagina is not nice.  
__**Jeck: **__She's lying. REVIEW QUESTION OF THE DAY: Should Jeck have the right to touch Raxsah's vagina.  
__**Raxsah: **__NO!!!! Stop, this is really inappropriate! Think of a better question, one that doesn't involve me or you!  
__**Jeck: **__Who would be on top; Jeck or Raxsah?  
__**Raxsah: **__I said that doesn't involve me or you!  
__**Jeck: **__You're right. The answer to the first question is obviously yes and the second one is obviously Jeck. So new question… favorite couples?  
__**Raxsah: **__Ugh… you need to get laid. Anyway, till next time folks!_


	7. Get the Party Started

_**Raxsah: **__Ugh, Stupid Strike… Is it sad that I wish we were in school?  
__**Jeck: **__Not really. It's the third day we're off of school since the strike started, it's okay to want to go back. 'Cept right now, since we're Harvest Mooning it up. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Hahahahaaa, it's almost as addicting as Sims. Almost.  
__**Jeck: **__Almost. Farming is fun, but Sims is pretty damn awesome too. (I can't say anything though, I'm more of a Harvest Moon fan)  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, Anyway, we're back, and on time this week. I blame the Strike though. If we were actually at school we wouldn't be updating. Not with Prom around the corner.  
__**Jeck: **__Not at all. We've got a whole bunch of stuff left to plan, tickets to buy, a tux to buy (for me) and a dress to fit (for Raxsah). We're busy people, you know?  
__**Raxsah: **__Chya, get dates to actually cooperate. Busy life. Anyway, We're glad people liked the last chapter. It was a bit steamy.  
__**Jeck: **__:3 Oh yes it was. And not to worry, there shall be a bunch more in the future. Much more.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, because in reality, we're almost done. Almost, we're in the stages of planning the end at the moment.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, like right now. This very second. *clap, clap, clap* It's gonna be awesome. Then we've got some editing to do, title selections, and random banter between the two of us before you guys will be seeing any of it. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Random banter that really has nothing to do with the story half the time. We get so off topic so easily. It's a little sad.  
__**Jeck: **__Look at the banter, now look at the story, now look at the banter, now look at the story. That is not related. :D (Five points to whoever can name where this is from.)  
__**Raxsah: **__Hahahahaaa, I have skillz. Anyway, I don't think we have any warnings about this story… I think it's pretty safe. Save for the references and language.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, no steamy love scenes this chapter. We'll give you a warning (or a heads up in some cases). And we don't own Star Trek related stuff, just for the record. Just our own characters and the plot. Now onto the story goodness! :D_

* * *

Chapter 7: Get the Party Started

* * *

"Hey Ryan," Claire said happily as she took a seat in front of her computer. It had been a long day in sickbay and she was exhausted, but she kept reminding herself to call her brother ever since her conversation with Jim earlier that day.

"Claire-bear!" Ryan said excited as he face appeared on the screen. His dirty blonde hair was cut really short and his normally clean and shaven face bore many cuts and bruises. He had a bit of stumble on his face and his right eye was black, blue, and swollen.

"Oh my god, Ryan! You look like hell!" She exclaimed as she got a good look at him. Ryan shrugged, a smile still on his face.

"I'm living through hell. It's like boot camp here and all the guys hate me for no reason, but I love it here! It's great!" Claire was concerned, but smiled. She hadn't seen her brother this happy since he started out on the B_erlin_.

"Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself," she told him as he nodded.

"So how are you doing, Claire-bear? I've missed you tons!" Claire went on to explain how McCoy invited her to the upcoming dinner, meeting Riley, and all that went down on the space station just the day before.

"There hasn't been a dull moment since I got back on this ship!" Claire exclaimed, causing Ryan to laugh.

"It sounds that way. Poor Riley though," he said in a sympathetic voice.

"Yeah, it's horrible. He's been blaming Jim though," Claire explained, causing her brother to raise an eyebrow.

"Jim?"

"Yeah, Captain Kirk. I don't know any other Jims," Claire said, obviously confused by her brother's question.

"Since when have you and the Captain been on first name basis?" She paused and shrugged.

"Since… now? Why?" Ryan just raised an eyebrow.

"It's just… weird. What, did he give you a puppy or something?" he asked. Her eyes went wide and she stood up.

"Fuck, I forgot about Rocky!" she said, walking away from her desk.

"What? Wait, Claire! Who is Rocky?" he asked. Claire picked the small puppy up and sat back down at the desk.

"This little guy is Rocky. My new puppy!" she said. Ryan just tilted his head to the side.

"You… have a dog," he said. She nodded and brought Rocky up a bit so Ryan could see him.

"Isn't he cute? Liam gave him to me." She said giving Rocky a piece of beef jerky.

"Is Kirk alright with him being aboard?" he asked.

"I asked him, he said it was alright." She put him down and turned back to her brother, who let out a yawn.

"You tired?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, boot camp is kicking my ass." She frowned.

"Well, once it's over it's over," She said.

"Ain't that the truth…" there was a small silence between them.

"So… do you know where you will be assigned after boot camp?" she asked. He shook his head and went to run a hand through his hair, but stopped when he realized he pretty much had no hair.

"No, I don't. I can put in a request, but they'll put me where I'm needed." She nodded and watched him yawn once more.

"I'll let you go, I'm sure you have tons of work to do tomorrow." She said.

"Yeah, hope everything works out. Personally I'd hate to be in your position," he said. She laughed.

"I could say the same thing about you," she replied. He laughed and shook his head. He looked up and sighed.

"I'll talk to you soon, okay?" she nodded.

"Yeah… I love you," she told him.

"I love you too, get some sleep."

* * *

It never ceased to amaze Claire how twelve hours of sleep could make you feel brand new. Not to mention that a night with no awkward sex dreams was refreshing as well. She took a nice long shower and put on a brand new uniform. Her message from McCoy, saying she had the night shift, put her in a relatively good mood. It also gave her time to read a few things about Starfleet surgeons.

However, her time off was quickly spent. So, after she fed and made sure Rocky was exercised, she headed back to work. The minute she was met with Alex running up and engulfing her into a hug. She stumbled a bit and awkwardly hugged back.

"Uh, what is the occasion?" she asked.

"I'm so glad you are here," he said before pulling away.

"Uh, why?" she asked.

"I think Pam grabbed my ass," he whispered.

"You sure it wasn't Liam? That's more believable." He paused then shook his head.

"No, it was definitely Pam." Claire looked past him to Pam, now seemed to be shouting at a nurse.

"She's PMSing, she just wants to have sex. I have to work now," she said. Before she could walk away, he grabbed her arm.

"You alright?" he asked. She paused before nodding.

"Yeah, why?" she asked. He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Alex, are you okay?"

"I want to have sex, I'm sorry, I know you said no but… you're pretty hot. Not like Laura Croft hot, but pretty sexy. How can you tempt me?" she ran a hand through her hair and glared at him.

"Go fuck Pam, I'm not having sex with you." Before she could walk away, he pulled her aside and pressed his lips onto hers. It was passionate, and full of lust, but she felt nothing and pulled away.

"Claire…" he whispered. She shook her head.

"Alex… I'm going to break up with you soon," she replied. He pulled away and looked down.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Alex… you can still have my pudding cups." He gave a chuckle and nodded.

"Thanks Claire." She nodded and walked up to the med station and glanced over to Kirk's bed. He was still in his bed, but was having a deep discussion with two other people. One, she recognized as Spock, the ships first officer, the other was a dark skinned woman she didn't know.

"Doctor Conaway, glad to see you well rested," Nurse Chapel said. Claire smiled and grabbed a patient chart.

"Twelve hours of sleep will do that to you. Maybe you should invest in it," Claire suggested. The nurse chuckled and shrugged.

"Maybe later. By the way, Captain Kirk needs someone to check his stitches." Claire nodded and looked over.

"Is it safe to go over?" she asked softly. Nurse Chapel glanced over before shrugging and going back to her chart.

"Go for it. If you need back-up, your boyfriend will help you out." Claire took a deep breath and nodded. She made her way over and stopped a few feet behind the group.

"Captain, I know you think the universe revolves around you, but if this event doesn't go smoothly we could be in trouble," the woman said.

"I agree with Lieutenant Uhura, you must spend more time preparing for the Andorians arrival." Claire took a deep breath and moved forward.

"Excuse me, Commander, Lieutenant, I'll just be a second," she said, moving past them. She glanced at Kirk, who gave her a smirk, she just rolled her eyes and picked up his chart.

"You know, you'll have to get a tux. The Andorians have decided that they wish to experience Earth culture, and the event coordinator is insisting all men wear tuxes and ladies wear formal dresses," Uhura said. Kirk rolled his eyes.

"Fine, you going to wear that green dress you wore our second year at the academy? Spock would love that dress, it was very flattering on you," he said.

"I believe anything Lieutenant would choose to wear would be flattering. Her body type is quite-"

"I think he gets it, Spock," she muttered. Claire put down her chart and turned back to him.

"I need you to lift your shirt," Claire said. Kirk smiled even wider and pulled it up.

"I could take my pants off too, if you want," he said. She rolled her eyes and went to take off his bandage, but stopped when she heard Uhura take in a small gasp.

"Are you really going to take that off right here?" she asked. Claire furrowed her eyebrows.

"Um… I believe so. I need to make sure his stitches are still intact." Uhura made a face.

"I suppose we'll finish this later. No offense Captain, but I really would rather not see… that." Kirk nodded.

"Yeah, I should be out in a day or two, right?" he asked. Claire paused then nodded.

"Yeah, assuming your stitches heal up," Claire replied. Spock gave a nod.

"We shall return later than. Captain, Doctor." Claire gave a nod and watched as the two left. She then turned back to Kirk.

"So, now that the sickly sweet couple is gone… you want me to take off my pants?" he asked. She glared at him and sat down on the chair to get a better look at his stitches.

"Aren't you busy doing something other than trying to get me in bed?" she asked.

"At the moment… no, nothing at all." She glanced up just in time to see him give her the classic Kirk smirk.

"I thought you were helping plan some tricked out prom," she muttered.

"Oh that, usually I just sit back and put on a monkey suit when they tell me. I only really get involved with the fun stuff." She stood up and began to rewrap his bandage.

"So if it involves some sort of violence you are all over it, but when it comes to a party, god forbid you bring out the tux." Jim chuckled, but it was genuine, and it made her stomach set off a ton of butterflies.

"Damn, I think I left the monkey suit back at home. I could always go naked if you'd like," he suggested. Her face turned bright red and she took a deep breath in order to calm herself.

"I'm sure you can get a monkey suit, it's not that difficult to find," she said.

"I guess. I can stop by after the dinner and you can see me in my monkey suit glory." She rolled her eyes and finished dressing his bandages.

"I'll see you in your monkey suit glory regardless. I should probably find a monkey dress," she said, muttering the last part.

"You're going to be there?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yup," she replied.

"Did you bring your old prom dress with you?" he asked. She chuckled.

"I think my mother would kill me if I ever wore a dress twice," she muttered. Jim raised an eyebrow.

"See, now you have to explain…" he said. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Not much to explain. I went to a lot of parties growing up, that meant a lot of dresses. I bought a dress for every occasion. I'm pretty sure I have more than a hundred stashed in my closet back home," she muttered.

"How did you find a hundred parties like that to go to?" he asked, trying to sit up.

"Don't sit up, you'll be stuck in here longer if you do," she scolded.

"Come on, no way you went to over a hundred prom wannabe parties."

"You'd be surprised. There was always some upscale party in New York," she said. She picked up his chart and wrote a few things down.

"You grew up in New York city?"

"Yeah, why? Where did you grow up?" she asked.

"Bumble-fuck Farmville. Not nearly as big as New York city," he said, he almost seemed as if he were in awe at the fact. For some reason, he just couldn't picture this girl growing up in a place like New York.

"It's not nearly as big as you think. Have you seen it?" she asked.

"Sadly, no. I lived in the country my whole life, until I went to Starfleet. I've never seen New York." She smiled.

"You're from the country? Never really pictured you to be a farm boy, Captain."

"I thought you were calling me Jim?" he asked. She laughed and put his chart down.

"I'm at work," she replied.

"I'm a patient…" She just shot him a look.

"You need to get some rest, you're healing up pretty well."

"So, why don't you meet me before the party and you can help me get into my Monkey suit," He suggested. She lowered the level of his morphine a bit and took a look at some of his other stats.

"That'd be a little pointless, since you wouldn't want to put it on in the first place," she muttered. A wicked smirk made it way on his lips.

"Is that an invitation?" he asked. She turned red and gave an awkward cough.

"N-no, I was just. Um, you really should get some rest. I'll check on you later," she said.

"Oh, I bet you will."

* * *

_**Five days later**_

"What do you mean you don't have a dress?" Liam shouted as they sat down. Claire sighed and handed Alex her dessert, out of habit.

"I've been too busy to even think about it. Between taking care of Rocky, and being a doctor, finding a dress was one of the last things on my mind," She snapped, taking a bite of her pasta.

"Well you need one, the damn dinner is tomorrow night! You can't look shabby at a high end Andorian dinner party," Liam said. Rupert and Colleen joined them at that time.

"Who's going to the Andorian dinner party?" Rupert asked.

"Claire got invited to escort Doctor McCoy there," Alex said, almost inhaling his food. Colleen raised an eyebrow.

"Like… as a date?" she asked.

"No, it's more like… you don't piss me off as much as the other doctors, so you can go," Claire replied.

"So, what's the problem?" Rupert asked.

"There is no problem," she replied.

"Uh, yeah there is! You don't have anything to wear to this party!" Liam snapped.

"Don't wear anything at all," Alex suggested.

"Alex!" Claire hissed.

"Come on, the minute you walked in you'd have the Andorians worshiping the ground you walked on. Or your rack," he said. She smacked him on the back of the head.

"Jerk," she snapped.

"I have a dress," Colleen said.

"Why do you have a dress?" Rupert asked. She shrugged.

"I wore it to my graduation, it's a bit longer than the average graduation dress, but it's nice. I just couldn't leave it home," she admitted.

"Really? You think it would fit?" Claire asked.

"Maybe, I might have to take it in a bit, since you are so tiny," Colleen said. Rupert raised an eyebrow.

"She can't be much smaller than you, I mean… she might be a few pounds lighter than you, but she's pretty much the same," he said. Claire crossed her arms and looked away, while Liam and Colleen just gave each other looks.

"Dude, she's talking about her rack. Colleen is about a D, where Claire comes in at a nice B," Alex said, finishing his dinner and moving to his dessert. Claire smacked him again and Colleen kicked him under the table.

"You are such an asshole," Liam muttered. Alex shrugged and leaned back in his chair. He paused before nudging Claire.

"Hey, Kirk is heading over here," he whispered. Claire didn't even flinch as he walked by, giving her a smirk.

"Claire…" he said. She gave him a half hazard smile.

"Jim," she replied. He continued walking. The table was silent as they continued to stare at her. She glanced up and suddenly became self conscious. "What?"

"You're on first name bases with the Captain?" Alex asked. She looked around the table and suddenly felt self conscious.

"Stop staring at me," she said.

"You went from totally ignoring the guy, to being on a first name bases. What the hell happened in sickbay?" Liam asked. Claire turned bright red and took back her pudding from Alex.

"Hey!"

"I need it," she muttered.

"Claire…"

"We just… talked. Like normal human beings, and we became friends." Liam looked hurt.

"Better friends than you are with me?" he asked. Claire rolled her eyes.

"No, you'll always be my number one gay boyfriend." Liam smiled and finished his dinner. Colleen sighed and rested her chin on her knuckles.

"I'll tell you one thing, this ship never gets boring."

* * *

She hissed in pain as she felt her 'friend' poke her with the needle. Colleen simply giggled and continued to fit the dress in order for her to wear it. Liam was on the other side of the room, petting Rocky and going through all of Claire's make-up.

"Ouch, damn Colleen, you keep pricking my boobs," Claire hissed.

"What boobs?" Liam asked. Claire glared at him and looked down at the dress. It was a strapless and right under the bust held tight to her curves for a couple of inches before flaring out. The only thing separating the bust and the skirt was a dark piece of cloth, and two lines of fake diamond design.

"Is it supposed to get lighter the farther down you go? Or is that because you didn't wash it right?" Claire asked, amazed at how the dress went from being black to turning into a light grey at the bottom.

"This is the way I bought it, why? Do you not like it?" Claire shook her head.

"No, it's great! I've never had something so simple. It's perfect!" Liam raised an eyebrow.

"Something so simple? What did you wear to prom?" he asked.

"If my mother would let me sell it, I could buy the whole Orion slave trade," she muttered. Colleen raised her eyebrows.

"Exactly, what do your parents do for a living?" she asked.

"One personal question a day, you all have reached your limit!" she said. Colleen finished her stitching and took a step back.

"I don't believe I asked a personal question," she muttered, looking at the dress.

"You guys grilled me about Kirk at lunch, that is a personal question," she stated. Colleen rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, what do you think Liam?" she asked. Liam looked up and smiled.

"Oh, girl… I can make you look smoking!" he said, putting Rocky down.

"Should I be worried?" she asked.

"Darling, if there is one thing I can do it is give a makeover." Claire rolled her eyes and walked into the bathroom, carefully taking the dress off and hanging it up. She quickly changed into her sweatpants and tee shirt and exited the bathroom.

"Hey, have you talked to Ryan lately?" Claire asked, tying her hair up in a ponytail.

"Uh… yesterday, I think. Why?" Colleen asked. Claire just shrugged and sat down on the bed.

"Just wondering, I haven't talked to him recently," she said. Rocky jumped up on the bed and rested in her lap. She began to absentmindedly pet the little puppy in her lap.

"He's been pretty busy. The last time I talked to him he actually fell asleep on the phone," Colleen said, picking up all her things.

"Poor guy, I will never understand the appeal of the security division. Other than the fact that I heard all the guys work out with no shirts on," Liam muttered, a wicked smirk on his face.

"You are such a pervert," Claire muttered.

"Coming from the girl who dated Alex Chambers," Colleen replied. Claire rolled her eyes.

"He's not that bad of a guy, he can be nice." Colleen raised her eyebrows.

"He must really be good in bed then," she muttered. Claire shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess so," she replied, diverting her attention to Rocky who was busy trying to pick a fight with her pillow.

"What do you mean, you guess so? Surely you've got something to compare it to?" Colleen asked, surprised by Claire's dry answer. Liam giggled from where he was sitting.

"Oh, I'm sure she has. However, she's not sleeping with him. Nor is she really going out with him." Colleen and Claire both turned their attention to him.

"Wait, what? How do you know that?" Colleen asked anxiously as Claire glared intently at Liam.

"Liam!" She yelled, causing Liam to giggle some more.

"What, I can't help it! I'm a gay gossiper!" He defended, holding up his hands in his defense.

"I don't get it…" Colleen said slowly, trying to figure out what Claire and Liam were talking about. Even Rocky was staring at them with his head tilted to the side.

"What he means is, we're not going out anymore. I broke up with Alex today," Claire explained, trying to save her butt. She liked Colleen, but she really didn't want it getting out that her dating Alex was all fake.

"Oh, but you still gave him your pudding cups at dinner?"

"I gave him my pudding cups before we were going out," Claire replied, causing Liam to start giggling again on the other side of the room. Claire turned her attention back to glaring at Liam as he began to snort.

"That sounds so dirty. That boy can take my pudding cups any day." Both Colleen and Claire put their faces in their heads as the mental image of Alex and Liam crossed their minds.

"Liam, just shut up!"

* * *

"Wow Dr. McCoy, you clean up well," Claire said in awe as she approached the doors leading into sickbay. McCoy stood outside, fiddling with his tie. His hair shone in the light from the hair gel that kept his hair leaning to the left.

"It's just a simple dinner, Dr. Conaway," he replied, clearly agitated by the fact that he was dressed up.

"I don't know what it is with men on this Starship and not liking to wear tuxedos. And I was just starting to think that I had you calling me by my first name." McCoy scoffed at her comment as he held out his arm in a polite manner. Awkwardly, Claire took his arm and allowed him to lead her towards Shuttle Bay 4.

"This is a formal dinner party and I count this as you working on the clock. Unless you'd like to go scrub down sickbay with the rest of the doctors…" He trailed off, smiling as he heard her gulp at such a thought.

"No, I'm fine here." McCoy's mischievous smile intensified at the panicked tone in her voice.

"That's what I thought. Now let's get this night over with." They continued their journey through the ship in silence. Every once in awhile, Claire glanced over at McCoy whose smile was soon replaced with a scowl. Once they entered the lift, she turned to him.

"Don't like parties?" She asked. He gave her a forced chuckle.

"More like I don't like parties that serve alcohol to Jim." Claire nodded. The lift took them down to the floor they needed and they wordlessly continued to navigate through the ship. After what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, they reached Shuttle Bay 4.

"So, have you ever met a Andorian?" she asked. He paused before shaking his head.

"Not personally, why?" she shrugged.

"No reason…" the doors opened and they both walked in. All the equipment that had been stored in the bay was now removed, and tables were placed all around the room. There was a few lights hanging around and there was a large carpet spread out on the floor, making it seem a bit more like a dining room and less like a shuttle bay.

"Doctor McCoy, am I right?" Claire glanced over and tried to close her jaw as a blue man walked toward her, followed by a woman who was also blue. Both had antennas sprouting from their heads. McCoy gave a nod.

"Yes sir, and you might be?" he asked.

"Name is Kevol, I am something of a doctor myself. This is my daughter, Lida. She is thinking of joining Starfleet." Lida did not pay attention to her father, her attention was drawn to Claire.

"Nice to meet you, this is Doctor Conaway, she is one of our newer doctors on the ship. She also seems to be an inspiring surgeon." Claire glanced at McCoy and gave him a small smile.

"A surgeon? You don't meet many of those in Starfleet. It is a pleasure," Kevol said. Claire smiled politely and shook hands with him. When she turned to shake Lida's hand, she was surprised to find the Andorian barely a few inches away from her.

"Uh, hello…" Claire said, suddenly feeling very awkward.

"You have interesting markings. I noticed every female has different ones. Is that common?" she asked. Claire raised an eyebrow.

"Are you talking about my Make-up?" she asked. Her eyes were covered with a dark eye shadow, and the darker eyeliner made her grey eyes pop. Her lips were painted a slightly darker red, and she didn't even bother putting blush on. In Liam's words "If Kirk is there, you'll already be red as a tomato."

"Make-up? What do you mean?" she asked. She raised her hand to touch it, but her father stopped her.

"Lida, you are being very rude," he told her. He turned back to Claire. "Forgive her, she has never seen a female human before." Claire shook her head.

"It's fine, I've never met an Andorian before." Kevol gave her an appreciative smile and continued his conversation with McCoy. Lida began asking Claire a million questions, every now and then getting too close for comfort.

"How do you get your hair so curly?" Lida asked. Claire paused and touched one of her curls. Liam and Colleen decided her normal straight hair was not god enough for this party, and ended up giving her loose curls.

"I used what we call a curling iron." Before she could say anything else, Lida reached out and touched one of her curls. This also caused the Andorian to get extremely close to her. Claire was almost relieved when Kirk walked over to them.

"Good evening Kevol. And Lida, you're looking as ravishing as ever," Kirk greeted, taking Lida's hand a giving in a kiss. Claire's cheeks bore the faintest red as jealousy washed over her body from the attention that Kirk was giving Lida. _Why should I care_, she thought. Even if he was really, really hot. Claire shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts of the sex dream she had not too long ago.

"I apologize, but I need to take Bones and Claire," Kirk said politely as he gestured to the two doctors.

"Don't apologize at all. I'll just catch up with Dr. McCoy later." Kevol said, waving off Kirk's comment as if it were nothing. Lida took a few steps towards Claire, invading her personal space once again. She took both of Claire's hands within her own and bowed her head.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Dr. Claire. Thank you for the knowledge you have bestowed upon me." Claire smiled in response as Kirk grabbed both her and McCoy by the arm and drug them away.

"Making new friends?" Kirk asked with a sly smile, leaning down to whisper into Claire's ear. She took a deep breath and instantly caught a whiff of his cologne. It was very sweet, and reminded her of old spice, but it seemed to have a newer flavor to it. She could hear him give a light chuckle, and her face went red again, but for an entirely different reason.

"Leave her alone, Jim. Who are you escorting tonight anyway?" McCoy asked, elbowing Kirk in the side, who pulled away from Claire.

"No one. As an unmarried Captain, I'm expected to come alone. It's such a shame, but there's no rule that says I have to leave alone," he explained, sending a wink in Claire's direction. She merely rolled her eyes and continued walking towards the main seating area.

"You never stop, do you?" She mumbled

"Jim, stop flirting with my doctor," McCoy shot, nudging Kirk in the side again.

"I can defend myself, Dr. McCoy," Claire said in a defensive manner, but McCoy just brushed her off.

"I'm aware, as is Jim. However, he doesn't listen to anything with a pretty face and is possibly attached to female genitals," he explained, causing Claire to choke back her laughter. True, it was slightly offensive towards her, but it was true none the less.

"That sounded like it was offensive," Kirk stated, clearly not fully listening to McCoy's words. Instead, his eyes were practically glued to Claire.

"It was, now just start this damn dinner."

"You know, you look really beautiful tonight, Claire." Her cheeks turned red once more and she tried to repress the smile coming to her lips.

"Thank you, you look nice yourself," she said. She wasn't lying either. His hair still looked as if he had just gotten out of bed, but his tux was pressed, and he reminded her of a blonde James Bond. Not that she would tell him that.

"That's it? I say you look beautiful and you tell me I look nice?" he asked. She shrugged and walked to the table with McCoy. She went to pull out her chair, but McCoy did it for her, causing her to raise an eyebrow at him.

"Uh… thanks?" she asked.

"Southern hospitality, my mother raised me to be a gentleman, regardless of the occasion," he told her. She gave an awkward smile and sat down. Kirk went to sit down next to her, but McCoy shoved him out of the way.

"Bones…" he whined.

"Don't start with me Jim," he snapped. Claire simply looked to the person next to her, surprised to see Montgomery Scott sitting next to her.

"Hello, your that doctor that saved the captain, Doctor…" he trailed off.

"Doctor Conaway, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Scott," she said, shaking his hand.

"It's Scotty… Conaway sounds familiar, are you sure I haven't met you before?" he asked.

"You met my older brother I believe, Ryan Conaway." Scotty looked as though he was thinking before he nodded.

"Yes, now I remember. How is the old boy? I heard he was on the _Berlin_." Claire frowned and nodded.

"Yeah, he's back at Starfleet, going through the security program I believe." Scotty frowned.

"Poor bloke, well… I'm glad his sister was smart enough to stay on a ship. You seem like a very good surgeon," he told her. She blushed and smiled.

"Thank you. So, did you bring anyone to this little party?" she asked. He nodded and took a sip of his brandy.

"Yes I did, but now that I see who McCoy brought, I wish I brought someone prettier. I didn't realize McCoy was trying to show us that babes join the medical field. I saw that nurse Chapel, she's lucky my one and only love is to the starship." Claire laughed and took a sip of her own drink.

"Yeah, I hear that engineers have more fun. You know, with all the drinking games and all," she said. Scotty's eyes brightened.

"You enjoy drinking games?" he asked, almost as if it was the best news he heard all day. Claire shrugged.

"I've only participated in a few, but I'm not that good. I usually make it to the last three standing then pass out," she admitted. He laughed and lifted his brandy.

"Well, I can relate. To being the last three standing," she giggled and toasted with him.

"To the last three standing," she repeated. She glanced down the table to see Jim flirting with Lida again and took a bigger gulp of her drink.

"You have something going on with the Captain?" Scotty asked. She turned bright red and shook her head.

"No, no. I just… he's um…" She trailed off, not sure how to continue the sentence.

"He get's that a lot," Scotty told her. Claire nodded as she chugged some more of her drink.

"I'm sure he does."

"Welcome everyone! I'd just like to say a few words before dinner is brought out," Kirk began. Claire was surprised as she listened to his speech about maintaining peace throughout the galaxy, starting with keeping the ties strong within the Federation. However, she couldn't help whispering with Scotty about how ridiculous he sounded as he went off on his love for Andorians and their culture.

"That's the biggest load of shit I've ever heard," Scotty whispered, causing both of them giggle shamelessly. Kirk didn't stop his speech, but shot a glance in their direction. Not long after, Kirk finished his speech and dinner was served.

"Ummmm… what's this?" Claire asked, using her fork to move the thick yellow substance around on her plate.

"Andorian specialty. Don't say anything, just eat it," McCoy instructed. He looked down at his own plate before pulling something out of the inside pocket of his tux jacket. Claire watched as he quickly injected himself with a hypo-spray before turning back to his food.

"Um, what was that?" Claire asked, gesturing to the hypo-spray. McCoy paled before passing it to her.

"It temporary removes taste from your taste buds. Just use it and shut up." Claire followed McCoy's instructions, feeling a wave of cold wash over her tongue, before her taste vanish entirely.

"Wow, that's so cool," Claire said, shoving a spoonful of yellow mush in her face. McCoy nodded.

"Eat up. I figure since the Captain has to choose a dance partner after dinner, you're probably going to be his first choice." she almost choked on her dinner.

"What? Why?" she asked.

"You kidding? Jesus woman, I don't know why. For some reason the man has decided that chasing after you is about as much fun as actually having sex. Don't ask me why, but he has." She sighed and ate the rest of her dinner. When she was done she glanced back at McCoy.

"Why?" she asked. McCoy finished downing his fourth whiskey.

"Why what?" he asked.

"Why is he so out to get me?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow.

"I thought I said-"

"I need to know so I can get it to stop!" she hissed.

"I don't know. Either way, you have two choices. You can either cave and have sex with him, I guarantee it will stop after that. Or, you can keep ignoring him until he gives up," McCoy told her, finishing off his dinner.

"How long do you think it will be before he give us?" She asked. McCoy sighed, obviously getting annoyed with her asking him questions.

"Hell if I know. I'm surprised he's lasted this long in the first place." McCoy paused then looked at her, as if he were trying to figure out a puzzle. She became very self conscious and looked away. When he still didn't look away, she faced him once more.

"What?" she asked.

"He's never gone after a girl this hard, and this long, before. I don't know why either," he muttered. She turned red and watched as they brought out dessert. She raised an eyebrow and turned toward Scotty.

"Is it just me, or is the only dessert they have on this ship is pudding?" He chuckled and shrugged.

"Well, you can't deny how delicious it is," Scotty muttered. She nodded and ate a bit of her dessert. After a few bites she simply began moving the pudding around in her bowl.

"This is why Alex usually get's the pudding cups," she muttered.

"Are you going to eat that?" She heard a voice ask. She looked up and noticed Spock was sitting across from her for the first time. She noticed he had finished his dessert and was now looking at her own.

"Uh, no. Would you like the rest of it, Commander?" she asked. He simply nodded and grabbed the bowl from her, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"Um…" Scotty chuckled.

"Spock has a sweet tooth for pudding, we're not sure why," he told her. She nodded and sat back in her seat. She glanced down and saw how Lida was now openly flirting with Kirk. For a moment she was hopeful that he would pick Lida to dance, yet, she was suddenly jealous of the female Andorian. For what reason, she was still not sure of.

"Alright, dinner has been served, we are well fed, I believe it is time for the real party to be started," Jim said while standing up. "I say everyone find a dance partner and let's get kicking." Before anyone could move, Spock spoke.

"Captain, I believe you are forgetting that you are to be the first one to dance. Since you are here alone, you are also permitted to choose your partner," Spock told him. Jim shot him a look but smiled to everyone else.

"Of course, how could I forget. I suppose I shall choose my partner now," he said. He glanced over at Lida, who smiled brightly at him. A long moment passed and everyone was sure he was going to ask her, that is until he moved away from the table and positioned himself behind Claire. His hand was held out next to her, and she looked up into his bright blue eyes.

"Care to dance?" he asked, his Kirk smirk visible for everyone to see. She glanced around the room, noticing everyone's eyes now on hers. She weighed her options, wondering whether or not it would be a good idea to say no, or if she should've just caved. She eventually gave a nod and placed her hand in his.

"I'd be delighted," she replied, letting him pull her up. The both of them walked to the dance floor, and she suddenly wished she was invisible. Being in the spotlight with a ton of people watching her was not one of her favorite things in the world.

He moved forward and she almost jumped at his arm wrapping around her waist, but reminded herself that she had agreed to the dance. She lifted her arm to rest on his upper arm, and noticed the smirk was still on his face, making her want to smack it off his face more than anything. Soon she found her hand in his, and they began moving.

"Thank you for saying yes," he said softly.

"Not like you gave me much of a choice, Captain." he frowned slightly.

"What happened to Jim?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"Technically I'm on the clock, and so are you." He sighed and they continued dancing. She noticed a few other people had begun to pick partners and dance, and she didn't feel so embarrassed. She looked back at Jim, who was staring straight at her.

"What?" she asked.

"You really do look beautiful tonight," he told her. She blushed and looked down at his black tie.

"Thanks," she replied. A silence came upon them for a second.

"I, uh… I'm sorry to hear about you and Chambers…" he muttered. She looked up, a shocked look written all over her face.

"How did you…" She trailed off and gave a heavy sigh. "Liam…"

"Told a nurse, who told Uhura, who told Spock, who mentioned something to me," he said. She rolled her eyes.

"It's like high school all over again," she said. He laughed and they danced in a comfortable silence for a while.

"I'm… sorry to hear that things didn't work out," he told her. She raised an eyebrow and held back a scoff.

"Liar, your happy we're not together anymore," she said. He shrugged.

"Maybe. But if you makes you feel better, I'll pretend that I'm sorry." She looked into his bright blue eyes, and she actually saw that he was genuine. He may not have been sorry about her and Alex's 'break-up,' but he was willing to pretend he was. And for once, it might not have been to get in her pants.

"Really?" she asked. He nodded, and then in a split second, a wicked glint came to his eyes.

"If you come back to my room, I'll make you forget all about him," he said. She rolled her eyes and gave a heavy sigh.

"Why do you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?" She continued to look into his gorgeous blue eyes before she answered.

"Why are you so sincere, kind, and genuine one minute. Then so cocky, arrogant, and pigheaded another?" she asked. His face became a little serious as he looked down at her.

"That's just how I am," he answered. She paused before nodding.

"Okay," she said. He raised an eyebrow.

"Okay?" she nodded once more.

"You are who you are, nothing can change that. I just…" she trailed off.

"You just?" she looked down for a second before looking back up to meet his gaze.

"It's nice to see the kind, sincere, Jim Kirk." He paused, his gaze never leaving hers. It looked as if he was thinking hard about something, and the fact that she had no idea what, scared her. After a second the song ended and Claire pulled away from him.

"So soon?" he asked, a smirk coming to his lips once more.

"Thank you for the dance, Sir," he took her hand and kissed the back of it. The moment his lips touched her skin, she felt as if she had a jolt of electricity, and her heart sputtered as if dancing itself. His lips left her hand and she suddenly felt cold.

"The pleasure is all mine," he replied. She watched as he let go of her hand and walked off, probably going to ask some random blonde to dance. As if on autopilot, she turned around and sat back at the table, her glass of champagne was now filled with Andorian ale.

"And so?" McCoy asked, a slur attached to his words.

"And so what?" She snapped, forgetting that McCoy was her commanding officer, though it appeared as if he wouldn't be commanding anything that night.

"Did you give in or are you going to keep leading him on?" McCoy asked, gesturing to one of the waiter's to bring over more whiskey.

"I'm not leading him on, he's leading himself on. I've said 'no' what feels like a hundred times. We're just friends," Claire stated, folding her arms angrily. She felt herself slowly becoming more and more defensive at McCoy's personal questions.

"Ay, you're friends now. That's some improvement," Scotty injected, his accent a little more thick as his words began to slur. Obviously, McCoy wasn't the only one knocking back the alcohol.

"We just got to a bit of talking, that's all," Claire defended, feeling herself getting doubled teamed by the two drunken men. A waiter walked over and filled McCoy's glass, leaving to go fill another alcoholic's cravings.

"Let's see how long you remain friends then, shall we?" McCoy shot, taking a nice long chug from his glass. Claire pushed her chair out and rose from her seat, her face bearing a tint of red from the anger that was continually building up.

"Thanks for the invite, Dr. McCoy, but I think I'll be leaving now," she said, trying to sound polite, yet not hiding her agitation with the doctor.

"Don't want to enjoy the Andorian culture any longer?" He asked, knowing full well of her reasoning behind the retreat. He smiled into his whiskey, his bitterness fully out in the open. Scotty sensed the growing tension and turned to his other side to hold a conversation with the Andorian sitting on his other side.

"No, I just don't want to be grilled about my personal life by my commanding officer any longer. Maybe I'll go check in on how the other doctors are doing," Claire suggested, walking away from the very drunk McCoy.

"Suit yourself, Conaway." she rolled her eyes and left the shuttle bay. She quickly made her way to the lift and hit sickbay's level. She leaned against the wall of the lift and ran a hand through her hair.

She couldn't be leading him on. She had made it very clear to him that she wasn't going to date him. Yet the more time she spent around him, the more she could feel herself slipping. His infectious smile was enough to make her melt into a puddle, and one look into his bright blue eyes made her knees week. She was beginning to fall, and fall hard.

The doors opened and she walked straight down the hall to sickbay, passing everyone working and sitting down on a empty medical bed in a corner. She pulled her knees up to her chest and watched as her dress flared out around her and off the bed. She didn't even have to glance over to know who sat next to her.

"You miss me?" he asked. She simply began playing with the hem of her dress.

"Yeah…" she said softly. Alex raised an eyebrow as he leaned back and watched her carefully.

"You alright? You didn't lose the dog again, did you?" Alex asked. She shook her head and looked back at him.

"No, just… thinking." He watched as she continued to play with the hem of her dress. They sat in silence before he tried to speak once more.

"So… do you-"

"I like him! I can't believe I actually like him!" she snapped. Alex just watched as she left the hem of her dress alone as she leaned back.

"Like who?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Jim fucking Kirk…" she sighed, burring her face in her hands, as if she were embarrassed. Alex gave a nod and was silent for a minute.

"You… like, like him?" she nodded.

"Yes…" she muttered.

"The kind of, I think your hot and I want to date a few times, have sex, then break up and have friends with benefits sex for a while?" he asked. She let her hands drop and looked at him.

"No, more of a, I'm willing to date to see if this is going to lead to more than sex, type of like." He took in a deep breath and shook his head.

"Not good," he said.

"You're telling me," she said. He laughed and watched as Liam walked over and laid down on the bed so his head was in her lap, and his legs laid over Alex's.

"I don't think this bed is big enough for the three of us," Alex muttered.

"You're just uncomfortable because Liam has a man crush on you and him being so close creeps you out," Claire said.

"Yeah, stop being such a loser, Alex…" Liam muttered, grabbing Claire's hand and checking her nails.

"Whatever," Alex muttered.

"So, Claire… why are you here and not at the awesome tricked out prom?" Liam asked. Claire shrugged and took her hand back from Liam.

"Not as tricked out as I thought it would be. It's kind of a crappy night," she muttered.

"If you want, we can go out for some pudding," Alex suggested.

"Ugh, I'm tired of pudding. They just served us a ton at the damn prom…or… the dinner thing," she mumbled. Alex's eyes went wide.

"And you didn't bring me any back?" he asked.

"Spock took the rest of my pudding. Apparently he has a sweet tooth for pudding," she muttered. Alex frowned.

"You're cheating on me?" Liam looked up at him.

"You two aren't even going out!" he snapped.

"She's cheating on our pudding friendship," Alex said. Claire rolled her eyes and looked over a few beds, where Riley was sedated.

"It's such a shame," she muttered.

"Yes it is, how can you just cheat on my like that?" She rolled her eyes at Alex.

"I was talking about Riley. He lost everything in one day, and now he can't even be awake long enough to grieve properly," she said sadly.

"We'll probably take a bit off him every day until he can remain calm when awake. Till now, he needs to be sedated. He's too violent," Liam said. Claire nodded and leaned against Alex.

"I miss my brother," she whispered. Alex frowned. He wanted her brother here as well. He remembered how laid back she was when he was here. It seemed that after she talked to him, she had a burden lifted off her shoulder.

"I miss your brother too," Liam muttered.

"I miss having sex," Alex said. Liam sighed and nodded.

"I miss it too," he replied. Claire gave an absentminded nod.

"Yeah…" Alex and Liam looked at her, almost shocked. "What?"

"You miss having sex?" Alex asked. She rolled her eyes at him. Liam looked up at her, as if he could read her by staring at her.

"Well?" he asked.

"Well what?" she asked.

"How can you miss sex? I mean, you're not exactly one to go out and try to have it," Alex told her. She looked at him and then let out a deep breath.

"Yes, I'm not a damn Virgin Mary. I have had sex before. I like sex. Sex is fucking awesome. I just don't want to have sex with the first space loser that is offering it. I'm tired of sex being only sex. I want it to mean sometime when I do it," she said. A nurse walking by paused and raised an eyebrow, but walked away from them after a look from Liam.

"So… you want to make love, not have sex," Alex clarified. She paused before she nodded and looked up at the ceiling.

"Yeah… I think so," she said softly.

"Way to go, Claire. Don't you dare settle. You're too fierce for that," Liam said. Claire chuckled lightly and patted his shoulder.

"Thanks, Liam… that means a lot."

"All in a days work."

* * *

To Be Continued...

* * *

_**Raxsah: **__Did you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it?  
__**Jeck: **__I enjoyed writing it! And now the best part… let's address our reviewers!_

_**WWESupernatural102292  
**__**Jeck: **__Well, I'm glad that some people are actually taking the time to read our play banter. For the record, last time I hadn't taken my meds and I was all, but raping Raxsah. :3 Thank you for your kind words about our writing. We may not be the greatest writers ever, but I think we do a damn good job getting the point across. Stay tuned for more Kirk/Claire goodness. (yeah, like it was a TV show or something)  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, sometimes we get a little crazy. We have issues, but our issues make for good writing. I don't know what Jeck is talking about. We are freaking fantastic writers, we just sometimes get lazy. Hahahaaa. Yes, Kirk/Claire will definitely be more often. I think I favor her over Ryan sometimes. That might be because she's flirting and all with Kirk. :D_

_**writestyle  
**__**Raxsah: **__Just keep writing, writing, and writing, writing, writing, and writing, writing, and writing, writing. Hahahahaa, sorry, I couldn't help myself.  
__**Jeck: **__We shall!!!!!_

_**WhatsGoingOn  
**__**Jeck: **__I'm glad you enjoyed it! Never fear, for there shall be more Kirk and Claire in the future.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, I will make sure there is more Kirk and Claireness in the future. ;D_

_**Parallel Days**__**  
**__**Raxsah: **__Yes, Love scenes are nice. I'm not sure this is the best chapter. It's not my favorite chapter… I think my favorite chapter is like… not this one. Hahahhaaaa, I'll let you know when my favorite one come up. You'll have to keep reading to see if it'll be alright, because we're evil like that.  
__**Jeck**__: Well, I'm glad to see that the hot and heavy scene was a success. You just got to keep reading for more. Sounds like a good weekend. It's nice to come back and read another good chapter of our story._

_  
__**Jeck: **__Well that takes care of all the reviews this week. More reviews are always nice. And we've got a poll question for all our readers. Which do you like more; Sims or Harvest Moon? You know where we stand. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, So, thanks to everyone who did the whole favorite and alerts thingy too, we appreciate it. Hopefully we'll see ya next time._


	8. My Humps

_**Jeck: **__Did you miss us? It's sure been awhile.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, we have been quite busy. Between the strike, prom, and drama… things just have been busy.  
__**Jeck: **__I almost thought that said porn and not prom. I was about to say, where was I and why wasn't I involved?  
__**Raxsah: **__It was straight porn, at Brian's driveway, in John's car, with Weston and Quincy… we didn't think you'd be in.  
__**Jeck: **__Was Alex watching? With his camera? Maybe I can catch some of the action later.  
__**Raxsah: **__Hmmm, maybe. Until then, we should concentrate on this story.  
__**Jeck: **__Yes, yes we should. So here's another chapter of sexy awesome writing written by two sexy beasts!  
__**Raxsah: **__Hellz yeah, and if I am not mistaken, this one has a mini-lemon… am I right?  
__**Jeck: **__Oh yes! Yes it does! I hope it pleases our horny little fans out there! If it had more pussy, it please me a little bit more. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__You're not going to sensor yourself anymore, are you?  
__**Jeck: **__You mean censor? And no, no I'm not. I'm going to be the full me and there should not be any censors. Vagina. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Hmm… well anyway, thanks to all who added this to their favorites and alerts list, we appreciate it.  
__**Jeck: **__That we do! And all the reviews were great as well!  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes we shall answer them at the bottom. Until then, enjoy the story!  
__**Jeck: **__Peace, love, reviews, and pootie-tang.  
__**Raxsah: **__Ugh…_

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Chapter 8; My Humps

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If Claire had to choose one word to describe her feelings for doctor McCoy, it would most likely be: detest. Ever since the dinner, he had practically been shoving surgical books down her throat. She was pretty sure she would be able to surgically take out heart and surgically put it back in as if nothing happened.

So for two weeks she had been sitting in front of a computer and reading up on surgeries. When she wasn't doing that on the clock, McCoy shoved her in front of simulator and made her practice. She slowly began to hate him, and love her free time. If she ever got any. She would also kill for a minor disaster, something that gave her an excuse to be a doctor.

"Conaway, I want you back in front of the simulator. We updated the server and there's a new course for you to try out. I want you to complete it at least ten times," McCoy instructed as Claire finished up her rounds. Alex and Liam watched as she was helplessly forced back into the simulator.

"Yes, Dr. McCoy," Claire responded in a monotone voice. She was sick of him pushing the surgical stuff at her, but he was her boss and if she had any future in Starfleet, it was wise to just follow his orders. Alex followed her as she left sickbay.

"Dude, what did you do? He's been all over you for the past two weeks," Alex whispered as they passed other crew members. Claire stopped and turned to him.

"I was considering going into the surgical field, but this is ridiculous. I haven't slept well in days," she groaned, leaning on the wall for support. Before Alex could respond, Liam came running out of sickbay.

"Guys, sickbay was just notified. The _Enterprise_ is responding to a distress call on a Starfleet base. You two, Pam, and Dr. McCoy are going down on an away team to check out everyone on the planet. You guys have to go get ready, now!" Claire smiled widely and hugged Alex.

"Yes! This is the best news I've heard all week!" she said. Alex pulled away and glanced at Liam.

"I'm pretty sure she's lost her damn mind. Must be the sleep deprivation," Alex muttered.

"Or sex deprivation. That's more likely." Claire rolled her eyes and got her medical kit. She was just excited that she got to do something other than surgical stuff. Before she could move out of sickbay McCoy walked in, and for a second she feared that he was going to tell her that she had to stay on the ship.

"You're going to need more than that. The planet is pretty much a glacier. Grab a coat," McCoy snapped. Claire nodded and followed Alex to a closet.

"You going to wear a pair of pants? It's pretty cold," he said. She rolled her eyes and put on a heavier Starfleet issue coat.

"You know what, I'm in such a good mood, I really don't care what kind of asshole thing you say," she told him.

"Oh really? You should really consider getting your boobs upped a size." She paused before smacking him. "Ouch,"

"I said asshole, not dickweed." He rolled his eyes and they made their way to the transporter room, where Pam already was.

"I don't want to go down there, I hate the cold," She muttered.

"And we hate whiney bitches, but we're still putting up with you," Alex snapped. Pam rolled her eyes and watched as McCoy walked in, while injecting himself with several hypo sprays. Claire and Alex raised eyebrows as he finished with the last one and stood on the transporter pad.

"Let's get this over with," he muttered. No one said anything as more people apart of the away crew walked in. Claire felt her face heat up as Kirk walked in and smiled in her direction, his eyes sparkling with joy. Spock followed behind him, an emotionless look on his face.

"I haven't been on an away mission in ages. I was starting to get a bit restless!" Kirk declared, jumping onto the transporter pad with joy.

"Captain, We're just going to aid those Starfleet officers down on the planet," Spock explained as a few engineers began loading supplies up onto a transporter pad. For a moment, Claire thought of her brother. A wave a nostalgia washed over her and for the first time since she got into space with the _Enterprise_, she regretted it. Sure, there was a sexy captain that was pining to sleep with her and the medical chief was pushing her to succeed in a career that she was taking a keen interest in. But there was just something missing.

"Conaway, get your head in the game." Claire snapped out of her thoughts as McCoy glared down at her.

"I'm focused, I'm good," she defended as the rest of the away team was ready.

"Beam us down, Scotty," Kirk ordered excitedly. Spock rolled his eyes as the team beamed down. Claire felt a small tickle all over her body and a small dizziness wash over her. Then she felt nothing but freezing cold air hit her as they appeared on the surface. Instinctively she rubbed her arms and looked over at Alex, who was doing the same.

"The base is up ahead, we should head there now, Captain," Spock said. Jim nodded and tightened his jacket.

"Let's go," he said. The group headed forward. The closer they got to the base, the worse Claire began to feel. She wasn't sure if it was the transporting, of the sheer fact that the place didn't seem right. When they did get to the building, Claire paused, causing Alex to stop as well.

"You alright?" he asked. She shook her head and looked at him.

"No, I just… I don't feel right," she said.

"It's probably just the cold, come on," she nodded and looked forward, only to have her grey eyes meet a pair of bright blue. The moment they met she looked away and followed McCoy to the door. It took a few minutes before a few security officers could pry it open, but they were able to and they piled in to get out of the cold.

"Hello?" Jim called, dropping his hood. The rest of the team did the same and took a quick glance around the place. It seemed very well kept, and didn't look as if anything had been out of place. Alex and Claire exchanged glances, and a few other members of the team did as well.

"Jim, something isn't right. Let's just go," he said. Jim shook his head.

"No, we need to find out what is going on here. Let's move in," he said. McCoy turned to his doctors.

"Be on the alert. I don't like the way this place is looking," he whispered. Alex nodded and subconsciously put a hand on his phaser. Claire frowned at the thought of even using it, but made sure she had hers as well and began walking. The place seemed to be a supply unit of some sort. Every now and then they would pass a big bay that seemed to hold tons of things that a ship would need if it needed repairs. Finally they reached the main hall, where anyone who was supposed to be here, would have been. Yet they were surprised to find it dark, and seemingly void of anyone.

"Captain, something is-" Spock was forced to stop talking as a large metallic container fell from the ceiling. Everyone jumped back in surprise as the container crumbled under its own weight. Shards of red metal shot out in all directions. Alex grunted in pain as a piece of metal sliced his leg, but no one moved. There was silence as the away team struggled to see what was inside the container.

"It's empty," Kirk said in shock. Claire tried to open her mouth, but no sound came out as she felt something metal press into the back of her neck. She looked around to see that everyone else had what appeared to be men standing behind them with phasers in their hands.

"Don't move an inch or I'll blow your head off." Claire shivered as the stern and chilling voice from behind her whispered in her ear. Claire's body became numb as the fine tip of the phaser tickled that back of her neck. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alex struggling against his attacker.

"Get off of me; we're here to help you!" He yelled as another man jumped out to restrain her.

"Resist any longer and we will kill you!" The man yelled, smacking Alex up the side of the head with his phaser. Alex cried out in pain as a small trail of blood started down the side of his head.

"What is the meaning of this?" Kirk yelled, trying to demand answers out of his attackers. The man holding Kirk back shoved him forward and a spotlight was shone down upon him.

"Nothing personal, Captain, but we're no longer with Starfleet. Not after they abandoned us here without enough supplies or hope that we'll fend for ourselves." All eyes turned to a man, in an oversized green jacket, who walked up to Kirk. Kirk reached for his phaser, only to find it missing. Before he was shoved forward, his captor had obviously taken it.

"We're here with supplies. We came here to help you. We heard the distress signal!" Kirk yelled, his anger growing with every second. Claire watched in amazement as Kirk was suddenly a very different man. While they were on the ship, he was smooth, handsome, and charming. When he smiled, Claire felt her heart flutter. But now, he was angry, defensive, and what appeared to be fear. His crew's lives were at stake.

"I don't want your supplies, I want revenge! We couldn't just simply build a ship and fly away, they made sure of that. We're taking your ship and leaving all of you here to die instead!" The man bellowed, but Kirk didn't flinch.

"I won't let you do that to my crew. I won't let you do this to Starfleet. We can get you off this planet and you can make a fresh start somewhere else." But Kirk's words did nothing to soothe the other man's anger. Claire was too far away, but she could practically feel his eyes bearing a hole in Kirk's head.

"NO! We don't want a fresh start, we want revenge! They tore us from our families and abandoned us here! We won't stand for it!" He screamed, overturning a nearby table.

"You called us here to our death and you expect me to go down without a fight?" Kirk asked, his trademark smile returning to his face. Claire noticed something different about it though. Most people would see the same old confident Kirk smile, but there was something more to it. It was the fear. He was afraid that other people would get hurt. Before Claire could ponder it anymore, Kirk ran towards the man in the green jacket and tackled him to the ground. All the men holding the away team hostage turned away from them and rushed to help their leader. The Chief of Security pulled out his phaser and blasted a few of the men away from Kirk, trying to protect his Captain.

"Claire, use your weapon!" Alex called, pulling out his own phaser. She paused before going for it, only to have it knocked out of her hand a second later.

"I don't think so, princess," the man said. He reached out to grab him, but she jumped back kicked his side. He groaned and fell into a table. He gave a groan of pain and Claire took the time to find her phaser.

"Shit," she hissed looking around. She saw what looked to be her phaser, under the table and dived for it. She picked it up and shot a man running toward Kirk, with what looked to be a sword. He didn't even have time to thank her before another man charged toward him. She went to stand up, only to have someone grab her ankle and pull her back. She gave a small shriek and fell on her wrist.

"Come here, you fucking bitch!" the man hissed. She went to shoot him, only to have him smack the same wrist she fell on, causing a sickening snap to reach her ears. She let out a scream and kicked him in the stomach, trying to get as far away from him as possible.

"Get the fuck off me!" she cried, kicking him in the shoulder when he went back to take a hold of her. He shouted and held onto his shoulder, giving her time to scurry back and attempt to find her only means as a weapon.

"We need to get out of here!" she heard someone call, but if it was from her side or the other, she wasn't sure. She just knew she had to get to her feet and get the hell away from here. She was a shitty fighter, and was not cut out for this type of thing what-so-ever.

"Why the fuck did I join Starfleet?" she asked herself. She didn't get an answer, she did, however, find her phaser. She even felt her fingertips graze it right before someone grabbed a hold of her calf. She soon flipped over to her back and was dragged, once again, toward the man. This time, she could feel her skirt ridding up, and a few pieces of glass embedded her delicate skin. Her wrist hit a table, causing her to cry out in pain.

"That's right, scream for me. It'll be the last thing you do before you die!" The man yelled, pointing a phaser down at her. Before he could pull the trigger, Alex dove out of nowhere and tackled the man out of the way. He fired a stray shot that took out another rouge Starfleet officer.

"Claire, get out of here!" Alex called out, punching the man in the face until blood sprayed out in all directions every time his knuckles connected with it. Without a second thought, Claire jumped up and ran. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Spock running to Kirk's side, who looked as if he was seriously hurt. Pools of blood covered the floor and the sounds of phasers being fired and the sickening crushing of bones breaking echoed throughout the room. Claire got to the door, only to find it locked. In a panic, she continued to jiggle the door handle.

"Conaway, get that door open!" Pam cried out as she ran next to Claire. Her hair was matted to her head and her arm appeared to be bleeding profusely.

"I'm trying, it's locked!" Claire shouted back, still trying to jiggle the door open.

"Use your phaser or kick it or something!" Pam shouted, turning back to face the attention.

"There's a reason I'm a medical officer, Pam! And I lost my phaser!" Claire turned back around and realized that they were sitting ducks. Kirk and Spock were fighting hand to hand in the middle of the room with a mass of rouge Starfleet officers.

"Oh god Claire, what do we do?" Pam asked, latching onto Claire arm and causing her wrist to get bent the wrong way.

"Jesus Christ, Pam. Get off!" Claire snapped, pushing the other doctor away. Before Pam could respond, Alex came running up to them. His run was staggered and he was covered in a lot of blood.

"Are you ladies okay?" He asked, trying to catch his breath. He used his left arm to hold onto Claire for support, who tried to help him stand up.

"We need to get out of here. Alex, we're locked in!" Pam yelled, turning around to bang on the door. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Pam, that's not going to do any good!" Claire yelled at her as Alex rose to his feet.

"Shit, okay," he said, reaching for his phaser. He signaled for them to move away from the door and fired a few shots at the lock. Claire ran up and tried to turn the knob.

"It's still locked. The lock is melted shut now, idiot!" She yelled, rounding on Alex. Alex ran a panicked hand over his face and scanned the room.

"We're outnumbered. Claire, try to get a hold of the ship. Pam, cover Claire. I'm going to try to find another exit, okay?" Alex instructed them. It was then that Claire realized that Alex really was a good guy. They were facing a life or death situation, yet Alex managed to remain calm and collected. He even tried working with Pam, even though everyone hated her. Whoever had Alex as a boyfriend would be lucky.

"Claire, snap out of it! Contact the ship!" Pam yelled as Alex took off running again. Pam moved to stand in front of Claire as she attempted to contact the ship.

"Scotty? Scotty?" Claire called into her communicator as the fight continued to wage on. A sickening scream echoed throughout the room as Claire and Pam watched with horror as the chief of security's heart was ripped from his body by a metal pole.

"We're running out of time." Pam muttered as another security officer was decapitated.

"_Claire? Hey, what's going on down there? We've lost four crew members down there!"_ Scotty voice said from over the communicator. Claire turned away from the bloody battle.

"Scotty, it was a trap. These men are rouge and we need to get out of here before they kill us all and take the ship," she cried out as a security officer ran up to them.

"WE NEED TO GET OUT! WE NEED TO GET-" A phaser blast ripped through his heart and covered both Claire and Pam in a layer of blood. Pam looked down at herself and screamed bloody murder as Scotty's voice came over the communicator again.

"_That's the problem, there's so many of you down there and everyone keeps moving around. I can't beam you all out at once. I'll have to beam you out one at a time while you're not moving. You need to get all of the crew into one spot and defend each other so I can beam you out!" _Claire and Pam exchanged looks. They had a very short amount of time.

"Guys, there aren't any more exits!" Alex cried as he ran up again.

"We need to get everyone together so Scotty can beam us out!" Claire shouted as the sound of phasers turned into a roar over the fighting.

"Alright, there's at least five other people here. Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and two security officers who I don't even know the name of. Come on, let's go!" Alex cried as he grabbed Pam and Claire's arms. The world of fighting was a blur that rushed past Claire's head. The phaser fire and the rest of the fighting… it was all just a blur.

"KIRK! SPOCK! MCCOY! GATHER EVERYONE OVER HERE! We need to get out of here!" Alex called as they darted past Kirk and Spock. McCoy was nearby, fending off his attackers. Claire was surprised to see how well McCoy was at hand-to-hand combat. Before the rouge Starfleet officers could fire their phasers, McCoy had already knocked the phasers out of their hands and knocked them out. A moment later, Claire saw Kirk running next to her.

"We need to get out of here!" Spock said as he appeared right behind the Captain. Kirk grabbed Claire's hand, slipping his fingers between hers.

"We're going to get out of here okay," he whispered to her as McCoy joined the group. Despite the situation, Claire felt her cheeks get red and her heart start to beat out of control.

"Damn it, Jim. We're doctors, not part of security. We're not trained for this sort of thing," McCoy yelled as a man tried to jump in front of them. McCoy elbowed him in the face and a loud crack was heard from the man's nose.

"You were doing just fine out there, Bones," Kirk said with a chuckle as the two security officers joined them.

"Captain, everyone's here." Spock said as they circled up.

"Scott, get us the hell out of here!" Kirk demanded as he shouted into his communicator.

"CLAIRE LOOK OUT!" Alex shouted as a phaser beam came speeding towards her. Claire felt time slow down as the red light came closer and closer. She felt Kirk's grip tighten as he tried to pull her out of the way, but it was no use. Claire shut her eyes, waiting for the pain to come. But it never did.

"PAM!" Alex's voice echoed through Claire's ears and her eyes shot open. Pam was on the ground, a giant hole bleeding profusely in her stomach. She was shaking madly and there was a trail of blood from her mouth.

"Oh my god… P-Pam…" Claire stuttered, falling to the ground besides Pam's dying form.

"Alex… told… me… to… cover… you…" She said through gasping breaths. Claire felt Pam's body go limp as the familiar sensation of being transported overtook her body. The scene of the angry mob of rouge Starfleet members overtaking them was the last thing Claire saw. She blinked once and the scene of a bunch of nurses and Liam surrounding the transporter pads came into view. They were back on the ship.

"Send word to the bridge to get us the hell out of here," Kirk said. Scotty nodded and began typing something in on his computer. Claire looked down at the spot where Pam was supposed to be. A sudden emptiness filled her when she realized that Pam was not coming back. She wasn't going to be there to annoy her, or to get on her case. She was dead, and it was because she froze. It was her fault.

"Claire…" a voice said. She didn't move her eyes from the spot, her eyes just stayed glued to the ground. She died right in front of her. She saved her life. Despite the fact that they hated each other, she saved her life. Claire couldn't even thank her, or apologize for being so mean to her. She had let her down.

"Claire!" Liam said, a little louder. This caused a few crewmembers to turn around, including Kirk and McCoy. Alex glanced at Liam as they both tried to get her to respond. They needed to get her to sickbay in order to check and make sure she was okay. She had blood all over her, and Alex was pretty sure that her wrist was broken.

"What's wrong with her?" McCoy asked. Alex shrugged.

"I don't know, she's just… not responding." McCoy sighed and snapped his fingers in front of her face, but she just continued to stare. Kirk walked over and looked at McCoy, who was busy trying to get her attention.

"What's wrong?" he asked. McCoy sighed.

"I can't get a reaction out of her, she might be in shock." Kirk moved toward her, and Alex and Liam moved out of the way. Claire was still staring at the ground, the memory of Pam staring up at her still fresh in her mind. She felt someone's warm hand on her face, and someone forced her to look away.

"Claire," Jim said softly. His bright blue eyes seemed to burn a fire right through her, and it was then she was brought back to reality.

"Oh god," she said. It was if a floodgate was released, and she suddenly felt tears pouring down her cheeks. She began shaking uncontrollably, and sobs escaped her lips at a rapid rate. She felt the warm hands leave her face, only to have strong arms warp around her tiny frame.

"It's okay," he whispered in her ear. She gripped onto his shirt as if her life depended on it and continued to sob. Jim glanced up and saw Liam walking over to them, a hypo spray in hand. With one small injection, she was suddenly limp in his arms.

"Sorry sir," Liam said. Jim said nothing and collected her in his arms, picking her up as if she were nothing but a small bag of flour.

"Sickbay, right?" he asked.

"Jim, I wouldn't suggest that, you're pretty hurt yourself," he said. Jim ignored him and began walking out of the transporter room. McCoy sighed and looked at Liam. "Go make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Yes sir," Liam muttered. Liam ran out of the room and made it just in time to get in the lift with the Captain. Jim glanced at him before looking straight ahead, his grip on Claire never faltering.

"You know, I could carry her up, it's really no trouble," Liam said.

"I've got her," Jim said. Liam pressed his lips together.

"Sir, you're pretty badly hurt, and-"

"It's my fault she was down there. McCoy wanted to send you down, but I asked for her instead. It's my fault she's hurt," Kirk said. Liam paused and glanced down at Claire. She was sickly pale behind the blood, and she seemed almost peaceful. He wondered if that was because she was sleeping, or currently in Jim Kirk's arms. They reached sickbay and Jim paused.

"Where do I put her?" he asked. Liam gestured to a bed and Jim carefully set her down. He went to step away but realized she still had a grip on his shirt, and gently pulled her off him. Even when she was detached from his shirt he still held onto her hand. He glanced at Liam, who was watching them carefully.

"She's going to be alright… right?" he asked. Liam nodded.

"Yeah, I mean… physically she should be fine. She might have some emotional trauma, but we won't know until she wakes up." Jim nodded and sat on the next bed to her. Liam just watched him carefully and began to check the Captain out.

"Shouldn't you be looking at her?" he asked.

"I already did a scan earlier. She should be fine. You seem to be worse off, sir." Jim said nothing and kept his eyes glued on Claire, until Alex walked up to her and began to check her vitals. He gave a nod before turning to Liam.

"Here, I got him. You should set Claire's wrist," Alex said. Liam gave him a look.

"Says the man bleeding profusely from the head…" Alex rolled his eyes.

"I'm not bleeding profusely. I'm fine, just go," Alex said.

"Yes sir," Liam said. He rolled his eyes and turned to Claire, while Alex went to tend to Kirk. Alex worked in silence as he worked on fixing Kirk's injuries. When he was done with the obvious wounds he glanced up at the captain, who had his eyes focused on Claire. He watched him for a minute before shaking his head and letting out a little laugh.

"You got it man," he muttered. Jim looked at him.

"Got what?" Jim asked. Alex began healing his knuckles, but answered him.

"The look." Jim raised an eyebrow.

"The look? What look?" Alex sighed and looked up at him. He knew the captain's reputation when it came to women. He was the type of man who didn't get too attached to any woman, never let himself fall too hard for a girl. That didn't mean he couldn't, just that he tried not to.

"The look a guy gets when he starts to really like a chick," Alex said.

"I don't love her," Jim stated.

"I never said you did. You just have that look." Jim scoffed.

"Maybe you confused it with the 'I'd really want to tap that' look. Maybe they are similar," Jim suggested. Alex sighed and began finishing his patching up job on the captain.

"I'll give you a piece of advice about Claire. She's not the type of girl you take to meet your bed on the fifth date," Alex said as he began to put his supplies away. Jim watched him carefully before speaking.

"What type of girl is she then?" he asked. Alex paused, looking back at Claire before turning back to the captain.

"She's the type of girl you take home to meet your mother after the fifteenth date," Alex told him, walking off to help the next patient. Jim watched him walk away before looking back at Claire and giving a heavy sigh. He looked down and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Damn…"

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Claire wasn't sure when she became aware of her surroundings, but she did. Her eyelids were heavy and she was tired, but she was aware. The cheap cotton sheets from sickbay were all she could feel under her fingertips and the tender spot of her neck. After what felt like forever, she slowly opened her eyes. At first, she snapped them shut as the blinding white lights caused her eyes to feel like they were burning.

"Sleeping beauty is awake!" Slowly, Claire opened her eyes back up to see a smiling Liam starring down at her.

"Five more minutes…" She mumbled, closing her eyes again. She wanted to turn over and place a pillow over her face to block out the light, but she couldn't find the strength. She heard someone walk over to her, but ignored them and tried to go back to sleep.

"Claire, you up?" she heard Alex ask. She shook her head.

"No," she muttered. Alex sighed and sat on the bed.

"Claire, you've been sleeping for almost a week now, you have to get up," he told her. She sighed and begrudgingly opened her eyes.

"There, that wasn't so hard," Liam said. She rolled her eyes and let Alex help her into a sitting position.

"What happened?" she asked. Liam glanced at Alex, but he simply took hold of her hand.

"What's the last thing you remember?" he asked. She looked to the bed, trying to think of the last thing she could remember. The first thing that came to mind was a pair of bright, caring, blue eyes. She thought back further and remembered Pam.

"Pam…" she muttered. Part of her said that she wanted to cry, but the other part of her wouldn't let her shed anymore tears.

"Claire, you alright?" Liam asked. She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair.

"She's dead. She's dead and it's all my fault," she whispered.

"It's not your fault Claire, there was nothing you could've done that would have made her change her mind," Liam said. Alex just watched her carefully, making sure she didn't pass out again. Claire took a deep breath and leaned against the bed.

"But she-"

"Just breathe Claire. You couldn't have helped her even if you wanted to, and there was nothing you could've done that would have stopped her. Just be thankful that you are alive, she would've wanted you to be happy, at least," Alex said. Claire paused before reaching forward and engulfing him into a hug, dry sobs escaping from her lips. Liam wasted no time moving forward and hugging her as well.

"It'll be alright, Claire-bear," he said softly. She clung to both men as the guilt began to set in.

"If I had… then she… it's all my… oh god…" she whispered in-between sobs. Alex's strong arms held her tight while Liam's hands gently rubbed her back in a soothing manner. She felt horrible, the pain felt like it was tearing her up inside, but at the same time, and she felt safe and loved.

"Shhhh, it's okay. She lived her life as a hateful bitch, but she died as your savior. No more crying, she wouldn't want that," Alex whispered to her, trying to calm her down.

"That's deep, man," Liam said, glancing at Alex who shrugged.

"My mom died when I was younger and it's taken so many years for me to come to terms with it. Claire, you'll probably feel guilty about it for awhile, but the pain will lessen. Time heals all wounds." Liam snorted at Alex's last sentence, but Alex ignored him and continued to cradle Claire's shaking body. She was so confused on how she should feel; happy to be alive or depressed because Pam lost her life.

"I think that phrase is copyrighted," Liam mumbled, causing Alex to move his elbow back into his ribs.

"Shut up, Liam," he snapped, going to elbow him a second time. Before bone met tender flesh, Claire's hand shot out.

"Boys, stop. I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or smack you both," she said with a smile, even as the tears continued to roll down her face.

"Good to see the old Claire is back," Alex said with his own smile as she cuddled into his arms. It wasn't sexual, it was comforting. Sometimes their friendship was all about pudding, but there was more to Alex than he would let anyone know. Even now, she could see the determined face he was wearing in front of Liam. He was like a big tough teddy bear.

"I never knew that you could be so deep and emotional, Alex." Alex rolled his eyes.

"Don't get used to it. This is a once in a blue moon type of thing," he said. Claire pulled away and wiped away her tears.

"I appreciate it either way, thanks guys," she said. They both offered her a smile.

"Of course, that's what we're here for," Liam said. She nodded and they sat in a silence for a moment.

"What's happened since I was asleep?" she asked.

"Not a whole lot. Kirk called Starfleet and they sent someone to come take care of the base. They also awarded us with a promotion, congrats," Alex said. Liam rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, now instead of Junior Lieutenants, you're just regular Lieutenants, big deal!" Alex ignored him and continued to look at Claire.

"Other than that, things really haven't been that interesting. Well, except for the fact that Oliver lost his meds and got the captain's chair to beep every time anyone sat in it," Alex said. Liam chuckled.

"Oh yeah, that was hilarious. I'm pretty sure I've never seen Kirk so mad. Except the time that Rocky whizzed all over it," Liam said. Claire's eyes went wide.

"Rocky! Is he alright?" she asked. Alex nodded.

"Liam and Colleen have been taking care of him, I'm pretty sure the dog is now spoiled rotten," Alex said. She nodded and glanced down at her wrist, frowning when she saw it in a cast.

"How long will I have this thing?" she asked, remembering that she had busted it pretty bad on the mission.

"Just a few more days, then you should be able to head right back to work." She nodded and leaned against Liam.

"That's it? Life seems so boring when I'm not awake," she admitted.

"Well… captain Kirk came down to visit you a few times," Liam told her. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked up at him.

"Jim?" Claire asked, her ears perking up as her heart skipped a beat.

"Yes, Kirk… That's what he said," Alex reiterated as he leaned back next to her on the pillows. Liam glared down at him, realizing that there was no room left.

"You could have made some room for me," he snapped, folding his arms angrily. Alex didn't even bat an eyelash as a nasty glare was shot in his direction.

"We only need one girl here and Claire is enough, thanks."

"Okay, seriously. Stop. Or get a room!" Claire snapped as Alex wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I don't swing that way," he stated simply, gesturing to their somewhat intimate pose.

"You guys fight like a married couple, so I wouldn't doubt it," Claire countered, removing Alex's arm and running her uncasted hand through her hair. It was kind of greasy and tangled, just like it would have been after two long days of working in sickbay.

"I wouldn't mind repopulating the earth with Alex," Liam said with a flirtatious grin and a wink sent Alex's way. Alex blushed.

"Dude, we're both guys. That couldn't happen," he stated, turning away from Liam's gaze that resembled that of a predator looking at its prey.

"I wouldn't mind fucking until we did," he breathed out, licking his lips causing Alex's face to go redder. Claire wanted to keep watching because Alex's uncomfortable face was enough to erase the guilt she felt from Pam's death.

"Okay seriously, enough. Back to Kirk, please," she said.

"Not much to say, he stopped by to make sure you were alright a few times," Alex said. Liam rolled his eyes.

"A few times is an understatement. The man was down here three times a day. He never made it to the bed; he just bothered me or Alex constantly." Claire looked at Alex who just shrugged.

"Yeah, it was a little depressing," he admitted.

"He… really?" she asked. Liam nodded.

"Yup." She looked down on the sheets, trying to figure out what his being so worried about her meant. Alex watched her stare at the sheets, the wheels in her head already turning.

"Did you have sex with him and not tell us?" Alex asked. Claire looked up at him and glared.

"No, I didn't have sex with him. You would know if I've had sex at all," she argued.

"Why? Are you a screamer?" Alex asked. Claire turned red and smacked his shoulder with her good hand.

"Shut up! I'm just saying that I'm usually in a much better mood after having good sex. I don't know why, I'm just much more chipper afterwards," she mumbled. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Well, it's not like we could really see a difference." she shrugged and leaned against Alex.

"That's because none of you are all that Fuckable," she muttered.

"Ouch, Claire," Alex muttered. She gave him a goofy smile, and giggled.

"I still love you Alex, I just wouldn't have your sexy babies," she told him. Alex watched as she was sent into a fit of giggles and looked over to Liam, who turned around and turned a bit red.

"Crap," he said.

"What?" Alex asked.

"I accidentally hit her morphine button, she's going to be a bit loopy for another hour," Liam told him.

"Would it be wrong if I tried to get with her now?" He asked with a quick glance in Claire's direction, who was busy staring at the ceiling and giggling.

"Morally, yes. Legally, yes. By your standards, probably not," Liam muttered as he picked up a tissue and wiped at the drool that was forming on Claire's bottom lip. Claire smiled at the gesture and grabbed his hand.

"Well thank you, Mr. Fairy. Are you going to take Mr. Pudding home with you tonight and make pudding fairies together?" Liam shot a seductive grin at Alex.

"I wouldn't mind trying…" He mumbled to himself as Claire latched on Alex.

"Mr. Pudding is my best fran…" Claire giggled as Alex blushed.

"Mr. Pudding? I should get a name more like Mr. Sexy Beast or Mr. Big Dick or…" Alex suggested, posing for Claire who continued to giggle like there was no tomorrow.

"Mr. Cum-In-Liam's-Mouth?" Liam offered. Claire began howling as Alex jumped up from the bed.

"You know what? I'm going to go check on Riley," Alex sputtered, his voice cracking like a little boy hitting puberty. He ran off and left Claire and Liam alone for a little while. Liam rolled his eyes and sat down on the bed.

"One day, that boy will be mine," he told her. She patted his lap and smiled.

"Don't worry, Mr. Fairy, you shall get him. Love always triumphs over evil," she said. He laughed and rolled his eyes.

"I really wish I had this recorded. I'll just have to make fun of you like crazy later."

* * *

Two weeks later, Claire was back at work. Thankfully, McCoy had not put her back to the simulations, and let her actually become a doctor again. She now found herself working a ton of graveyard shifts, and she hadn't seen Captain Kirk around either.

"Doctor Conaway, do you wish for Mr. Kline to be taken off the sedative?" Nurse Chapel asked.

"Just a bit. I believe Doctor McCoy is going on an away mission soon, it would probably be best to take him fully off them then," Claire said. Chapel nodded and Claire checked his stats, taking a moment to frown at him.

"Doctor?" Chapel asked. Claire shook her head.

"Such a shame, the poor guy has to be kept like this. If it wasn't good for his health I would take him off of them," she said. Chapel shrugged.

"He will be. And when he is, we can only hope for the best." Claire nodded and went to the medical station where she saw Liam working at the computer.

"Hey, what are you up to?" Liam looked up at her.

"Checking out some Gay porn," he answered. She scrunched her nose and began writing a few things in her patient chart.

"That is so gross," she whispered.

"You have any idea what McCoy is going on that away mission for in a few days?" he asked. She paused before shrugging.

"I think they are doing reconnaissance, it's a new planet and they need to see what's on it," she told him.

"Hmmm, Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and a few members of the science department going on a camping trip. Can you say massive orgy?" Claire just shook her head as Liam gave her a toothy grin.

"Can't you think about anything else except men?" She snapped as his eyes slightly glazed over. He looked like he was happily emerged in a daydream, his features as sharp and alert as a predator. He grinned as he licked his lips, hungrily.

"Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are pretty good looking, you can't deny that. Just imagining them sharing a tent together… washing each other before bed… Kirk running his rough hands over Spock's…" Claire lunged forward and covered Liam's mouth with her hand, causing Liam to giggle like a little school girl. Claire glared at him, but pulled her hand away as if it had been burned when she felt Liam's tongue dart out to lick her hand.

"Liam, stop now. I don't ever need to think about Kirk and Spock doing the nasty. Or McCoy for that matter," Claire stated, turning away from the gay man at the computer only to come face to face with Alex.

"Your boy toy is gay? Man, I never knew. It makes sense I guess, I mean have you seen the way Spock looks at him?" Claire suddenly had a sudden urge to smack her palm to her face as Liam giggled behind her.

"I know! It's the perfect gay couple ever, well, except for me and you, course," he added, causing Alex's face to go red. This occurrence happened a few times a day and Claire was really getting sick of it. Liam obviously wanted to jump Alex and Alex wasn't saying no anymore, he was just running away.

"Okay, Alex, you're kind of starting to sound like a gossiping girl. And Liam, stop thinking about your superior officers have a secret gay affair," Claire scolded and Alex immediately turned away.

"I have things I should probably go do. I'll see you guys at dinner," he said quickly as he headed off in the direction of the main lobby of sickbay.

"I think you scare him, Liam." Liam smiled.

"He's just afraid of commitment," he said with a smile as he turned back to the computer.

"I'm not going to get any answers about this away mission, am I?" Claire grumbled to herself as she headed back to her daily rounds.

* * *

"Conaway!" Claire jumped and turned around.

"Doctor McCoy?" she asked.

"While I'm away, I want my sickbay to stay in one piece, am I understood?" He asked. She paused and nodded.

"Yes sir, is there anything else you need?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No, just make sure Peterson and Chambers don't cause this place to fall to the ground," he said. She nodded and put down a patient chart, just as the door opened and Kirk and Spock walked in. Even across the room she could hear Liam giggle insanely.

"Bones, you almost ready to go?" Kirk asked. McCoy rolled his eyes and injected him with a vaccine, causing Spock to raise an eyebrow.

"You you ill, Doctor?" he asked.

"No, just taking precautions to make sure I don't get sick. While I remember, Spock… come with me, I need to just scan over you and make sure you are healthy enough to make the trip," McCoy said.

"Doctor, I assure you that-"

"Oh just move, you damn hobgoblin." The two men left, leaving Claire and Kirk alone at the medical station. She continued to go over her patient charts, all the while aware that his eyes were focused on her. After a brief silence he was the first to speak.

"How is your wrist?" he asked. She looked up and gave a small smile.

"Fine, thank you. Are you feeling better yourself?" she asked. He nodded and moved a bit closer to her.

"I've been better. My heart still aches around you if you were concerned," he told her, a flirtatious smirk plastered on his lips. She chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"You've lasted this long, I'm sure you'll live," she told him.

"Aw, now what if I didn't come back from the away mission? Wouldn't you want to know how my lips felt against your skin?" he asked his voice now low and sultry. She turned bright red and looked back to her charts.

"I-I'm pretty sure y-you'll be coming back, Captain." He laughed at her shyness, and nodded.

"I'm sure I will too. But still… wouldn't you like to know?" he asked.

"C-Captain, I'm not sure t-that-"

"Haven't we been over this? Call me Jim, Claire. Captain makes it sound so formal, and we're way beyond being formal here," he told her, slinging his arm over her shoulders. Claire's face went red and her stomach felt like it was trying to do a summersault, but she didn't move.

"H-How is your side, Jim?" Claire asked, trying to force her stutter to go away. She ended her question sounding a lot more confident than she really was.

"Better, thanks to the magic touch from this really sexy doctor who handled my surgery," he whispered in her ear, his hot breath sending chills down her spine. She wanted to fling herself at him and take him there, but it was just her hormones talking. She could resist it, she'd been doing well so far.

"Jim, step away from my doctor. She's going to be in charge while I'm gone and I don't want her haven't any hormonal distractions," McCoy snapped as he and Spock reentered the room. Kirk just smiled and removed his arm from around Claire.

"I was just trying to get a goodbye kiss from this lovely lady here," Kirk said, gesturing to Claire who resembled a tomato at that point. Everyone in the room was staring at her and the memories of her hot and heavy dream about the Captain were resurfacing.

"I know what you were doing and I want you to stop. I don't know how many times I have to say it before you listen!" McCoy snapped, picking up more hypo-spray canisters from the table.

"I am listening, it's just that-"

"No, no excuses. Just get in the back room so I can check you out before we leave," McCoy ordered as he motioned Spock to leave. Spock nodded and left without any words goodbye. Kirk whined as he took a step towards McCoy.

"Do I have to?" He asked, giving McCoy the most pathetic look he could muster up. McCoy's intense gaze didn't falter. After a moment, McCoy reached out and grabbed Kirk around the collar.

"Yes, now get back there. Conaway, get back to work!" He called over his shoulder as he began dragging Kirk into the back room. Liam walked up next to Claire who hadn't moved since Kirk pulled his arm away.

"Oh, that threesome just sounds better and better the more I think about it. McCoy is his demanding voice ordering the Captain to suck his-" He whispered, but Claire's hand was over his mouth again before he could say another word.

"Liam, just shut up!"

* * *

The bridge was almost completely empty, except for Jim, who was sitting in his chair and staring out of the screen. He was tired, and frustrated. The away mission had even started out boring. They landed and began to stare at plants and rocks, and when they finally did set up camp, McCoy almost demanded him stay on his side of the tent and shut up. There was no action, no fighting, just staring at plants and writing shit down. Which meant Jim was bored out of his mind, and was constantly getting yelled at by McCoy.

He desperately wanted a drink, and a nice blonde on his lap, or a particular blonde to be exact. He heard the doors to the lift open and he turned his chair around, his eyebrows disappearing in his hairline. She simply walked in and leaned against the railing. He was sure her skirt was even shorter than usual, and the smile on her face was definitely something he hadn't seen before. Not that he was complaining.

"Claire… what are you doing up here?" he asked. She shrugged and took a few steps toward him.

"I heard you had a rough away mission, I wanted to know if there was anything I could do for you?" she asked. Even the sultry tone of her voice was strange, though his groin couldn't seem to tell the difference.

"I can think of a few things," he said, his smirk growing wider on his lips.

"Oh really? Care to share?" she asked. She was now barely two feet away from him, her long pale legs tantalizing him even further.

"I don't think you'd be up for anything I'd suggest," he told her. She smirked and took a step closer.

"Try me," she whispered. Before he could say anything else, she straddled him, causing her short skirt to ride up further and expose her white lace panties. Jim wondered for a moment if she had a matching bra.

"What are you doing?" he asked. She moved her hands slowly up his chest, causing a shiver to erupt through his body. She smirked at the reaction and let her hands rest at the base of his neck.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked softly. The statement caused a rush of blood to go straight to his groin, and he almost groaned in response. It had been far too long since he had sex, and her offering her to him was all the encouragement he needed to get a rise.

"Claire…" his voice was strained, and he couldn't find a way to make the words he needed to speak. She didn't reply as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. The moment their lips touched, he felt a bolt of electricity shoot through his lips and fall all the way down to his 'little Captain' and he gripped her thighs, pulling her closer to him. Their lips moved in a fluid motion, and she raised one hand to run through his hair, letting her other hand drop to the hem of his shirt.

His own hands inched up, pushing the hem of her dress further up, and letting the cold air hit her sensitive skin. She pulled away from his lips and pulled his shirt above his head, and placed her lips against his neck and began working her way down to his sensitive nipples.

"Fuck," he hissed when she hit a sweet spot, and he felt her smile onto his chest. He pulled her head up from his chest and placed his lips on her own, one hand on her cheek to keep her in place, the other inching up to the zipper of her uniform and pulling it down. She pulled away for a second to remove the dress and throw it aside, letting Jim get a view of her white lace bra.

"Matching set," he whispered. She chuckled and began to kiss his neck once more, while his hands reached around and unhooked her bra. Her breasts spilled out of their restraints in front of him, and his hands began to gently massage them. She practically purred as his fingertips caressed her nipples and they went hard as his palm brushed against them. She titled her head back and breathed out his name, causing Jim's privates to painful push against his pants.

"Someone's a little happy to see me," Claire moaned as she ran her perfectly manicured nails across the soft skin of his back, causing him to let out his own moan of pleasure. It felt as if someone had cranked the heat up over one hundred degrees and Jim needed to get out of his pants, his member pressing painful against the fabric.

"Claire… I need…" But Claire was already reading his mind as she slowly slid off his lap, making sure to let her hands caress every sensitive spot she could find on the way down. Just as her hand reached his bulge, she let her delicate hand grab the zipper and pull it down as painfully slow as possible. Jim's eyes rolled back as she continued her teasing, gently tugging his pants down around his knees.

"Claire… please…" Without a moment's hesitation, Claire yanked Jim's underwear down, which was hiding his "little captain". Claire smiled as the captain stood at least eight inches and appeared to be throbbing. Jim couldn't hold back the groan that came to his lips as Claire's hand cupped his balls, giving them a light squeeze. She leaned down and let her tongue dart out, giving the head of Jim's penis a light lick before taking all of him in her mouth. He shuddered as her tongue swirled around the most sensitive spot on his body.

"Oh god… Claire!" Jim cried out as her head began bobbing up and down on his pelvis, her hands still paying special attention to the "twins". He grumbled in protest when she pulled her mouth away to lick his length and blowing her cool breath against him, causing him to arch his back.

"No more play time," Claire said as her mouth returned to his crotch and she resumed her previous actions, sucking on his cock. Jim arched his back as a pressure began to build up in his lower abdomen. He was so close now, he could feel it as her tongue continued to stroke the head of his member. Jim's skin was on fire as all the muscles in his body contracted and his pulse raced. Claire's mouth was so hot and wet, he could barely hold out any longer.

"CLAIRE!" Jim cried as his whole body stiffened and he felt his cock empty its load in Claire's mouth, but his mind was a jumble and he couldn't think clearly.

"Jim…" A voice cut in, clear as day. He looked down and Claire was gone, causing him to look around in confusion.

"Jim…" the voice said again, and everything began to grow fuzzy…

* * *

… His eyes shot open, and the first thing he saw was the back of a man's head. It took him a moment, but he soon realized it was Spock's head, and another moment later, he realized his arm was draped over Spock's waist and pulling him close to him.

"Wha…"

"Jim, I believe that you are currently trying to insert your genitalia into my anal cavity," Spock said. Jim just blinked, his mind still buried in the dream.

"I'm what?" he asked. Spock looked at him, and he was sure that if the Vulcan weren't trying to mask his emotions, he would be annoyed.

"Jim, in simple terms, you're junk is in my trunk." Jim got the meaning and scooted away as far as possible. His pants were still a little tight, and a light layer of sweat was still on his forehead.

"Are you done being all Brokeback mountain over there?" he heard McCoy ask. He gave a heavy sigh and ran a hand over his face.

"I wasn't trying to… it's not what you think. I wasn't thinking that it was actually Spock," he said, trying to defend himself.

"Believe me Jim, we know who you were thinking about," McCoy told him.

"Ugh, this is embarrassing," Jim muttered. Spock sat up and looked at Jim.

"Jim, in light of the very recent events, I strongly urge you to ask Doctor Conaway out. It is obvious your infatuation with her is more than a passing affiliation, and perhaps there is more to the prospect of a relationship than you wish to believe."

"There isn't more to it, I just want to get her in bed," Jim argued. McCoy scoffed.

"For Christ's sake, when is the last time you've gone after a girl for more than five days? Let alone almost five months?" Jim was silent as he tried to think. He soon came up with nothing and he glanced over at McCoy, who was giving him a knowing look.

"Okay, so I really want to have sex with her. What's the big deal?" he asked, trying to defend himself.

"I believe that there is more to it than that, Jim. Your obvious attraction to her greatly surpasses any other romantic encounter you have experienced. You cannot deny the relationship you have is more than you say it is," Spock said. In the back of his mind, a part of him agreed with the two older men. The more prominent part of him, wanted to disagree all together.

"It's just the chase," Jim muttered, turning over and trying to ignore the looks of his two best friends.

"Yeah, sure…" McCoy mumbled, turning over and going back to sleep. Spock did the same, but had scooted farther away from Jim. Jim sighed and fell back onto his pillow, a tent still visible around the middle of his sleeping bag.

"I need to get laid…" He muttered to himself as he closed his eyes, trying to will the bulge to go away.

_**

* * *

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Raxsah:

_So, we have some lovely reviews, though I have a feeling we might get more for this one… at least some interesting ones. We'd like them a lot. Spread the cheesey bread love!  
__**Jeck: **__Mmmmmmm… cheesy bread. Any reviews are appreciated. Reviews of love are like sex. Criticism works too, but we're almost done the story. Hate reviews? We'll hunt you down and stab you in the eye with whatever we can find. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__We'll do that after we figure out how to set Zach on fire without getting caught.  
__**Jeck: **__Simple, blame Alex. That's what we did for global warming. Anyway, onwards to the review section!_

_**WhatsGoingOn **_

_**Raxsah: **__Yes, the couple is quite cute together. I promise there will be more of it in the future.  
__**Jeck: **__Indeed, indeed. We know what our readers like. lol _

_**Hayley's Happening**_

_**Jeck: **__That's what we thought. We didn't really know much what Ryan was going to do in the beginning, but we knew that Claire and Kirk were going to be together from the start. I was thinking to put Ryan with Uhura… but she's kind of an ugly bitch…  
__**Raxsah: **__I'm glad you think thy fit well together, I was a little worried that they wouldn't at first. But thankfully the reviewers are happy with the match._

_**Aiko**_

_**Raxsah: **__It totally is. I love Rocky, we need more of him in the story. Though, I never really noticed the breast nudging thing until you mentioned it. In my defense, I didn't write that part.  
__**Jeck: **__That'd be me. :3 I just thought it'd be funny and make the dream more realistic for Claire. And we're working hard on the battle scenes, so I'm glad you're enjoying it. _

_**SWfangirl21**_

_**Jeck: **__Thanks for your review. For the record though, Raxsah has had me censoring myself. I have an extremely dirty mind and I was not against bestiality in this story. Just saying. lawl  
__**Raxsah: **__Ugh, yes… I remember that conversation. It was not pretty. Believe me, though I have no doubt your friend has a dirty mind… some of the things Jeck thinks of are disturbing alone. We're glad you liked the story though. Hopefully you'll keep reading it._

_**Raxsah: **__So… hopefully you liked the chapter. I think the ending was by far my favorite. :D  
__**Jeck: **__I think the whole story is my favorite. Oh wait, that's just cause we wrote it. Still, we find ourselves quoting this story in real life. Is that sad and pathetic? :D  
__**Raxsah**__: A little… but it's okay, because we are awesome like this.  
__**Jeck: **__That goes without saying. We're like mad freakin' awesome, even if we're the only ones who think so. But we're not, obviously. You guys have made that clear.  
__**Raxsah: **__True, true… anyway, hope you guys enjoyed our non-profit story, donations are accepted though.  
__**Jeck: **__Please send all donations to my wallet. Sexual favors can be returned by me if you're a lady, and possibly by Raxsah if you're a hot man with a nice ass, buy her lots of chocolates, and take her out for a lobster dinner. She's not cheap, my friends.  
__**Raxsah: **__Damn right I'm not cheap, you better be paying me good money. Fuck, if I'm going to be whored out, I expected to be treated like a lady.  
__**Jeck: **__That's right, you heard it here. I'm whoring myself and my best friend out. Need a douche bag? I'm the douche to your bag. :D Btw- stop eating corn and nuts. They come out in your douche and I don't appreciate it.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, I'm stopping it here. Reviews are nice! Till next time!  
__**Jeck**__: Bye-bye! :3_


	9. The Sound of Madness

_**Raxsah: **__Hello all! We apologize for not posting sooner. I have been busy… and lazy.  
__**Jeck: **__Which isn't different from any other day or chapter of the story. Although I guess I can't say anything, since I'm just as lazy if not more so.  
__**Raxsah: **__So, since the next couple of weeks are about to get crazy, we figured we'd post this now. If we get the chance, we might post one after senior week and before I leave.  
__**Jeck: **__If you're lucky. I'm not lucky. I fucking suck at gambling!  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah… Life just doesn't seem to be lucky lately… stupid drama…  
__**Jeck: **__Preaching to the choir, my friend. And I'm sure we're not the only ones who get to enjoy the pointed side of drama's stick. Fuckin' A.  
__**Raxsah: **__True… Anyway, we'd like to thank those few who added this to their favorites and alerts lists. We appreciate that.  
__**Jeck: **__We take time out of our busy dramatic lies to enjoy that. The reviews especially brighten our days. Except that one bitch. She pissed us off.  
__**Raxsah: **__Be nice! Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Jeez… give her the fucking fourth degree. Though, it was a bit uncalled for.  
__**Jeck: **__There's a difference between "McCoy is out of character" and "your story makes me sick". Just saying. Criticism is nice, bashing is not permitted in this area. Or I'ma get out my shank. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__Anyway, before we get too off topic. We hope you enjoy this chapter, and we appreciate reviews, as long as their constructive criticism. We have enough drama in our lives and don't want to deal with immature bashers on . Not enough patience in the world for that.  
__**Jeck: **__Or shank-en knives. :3_

**

* * *

**

Chapter 9:

_The Sound of Madness_

* * *

"Liam, I love you, but you need to shut up!" Claire said, placing her dinner tray on the table. Liam just giggled and sat next to Colleen, who looked a little sad.

"You love me, you just get all hot and heavy thinking about Kirk and his-"

"God, please stop mate. I don't know what you all talk about in sickbay, but here… we'd really rather not talk about that type of thing," Rupert said. Claire shot him an appreciative smile.

"Thank you, the man will not shut up," she muttered. Liam rolled his eyes and shot Alex a flirtatious smile as he sat down next to Claire.

"Hello, Alexander…" he said, his voice coated in seduction. Alex turned deathly pale and turned to Claire.

"Please go back out with me," he pleaded. She rolled her eyes.

"No." He frowned and turned to his dinner. Claire looked over to Colleen, who was moving her food around on her plate, but not eating it. "You okay?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm just… lonely, I guess," she replied. Rupert rolled his eyes, as if he knew what was going on.

"Lonely? What do you mean?" Liam asked. Colleen shrugged.

"I don't know. I've been going out with Ryan for almost five months, and with the distance between us… it's hard," she explained. Claire shot her a sympathetic smile. Though she could not relate fully to how she was feeling, she could relate to missing him.

"You should try having phone sex, works wonders on long distance relationships," Alex suggested. Claire became pale, while Colleen turned bright red.

"Oh my god, you are having phone sex with him! Is it any good?" Liam asked.

"Okay! Can we not talk about having sex with my brother? Phone sex or not, I don't want to know," Claire stated. Alex laughed and Rupert rolled his eyes. Colleen turned a bit red and frowned.

"Sorry, but… a relationship is difficult when your light-years away," Colleen said. Claire nodded and turned back to her dinner.

"I understand, kind of. Trying to stay close to Ryan while he's busy with boot camp is hard," Claire said while pushing her own mashed potatoes across her plate.

"He asks about you a lot when I talk to him," Colleen offered, realizing that her own sadness about the situation had caused Claire's mind to wonder to it as well.

"Dude, I really hope it's not during the phone sex," Alex said as he tried to shove half a steak into his mouth. Rupert dropped his fork, his face turning red as Colleen picked up her tray and walked away. Liam was giggling madly as Claire glared at Alex, her hand holding her fork was shaking.

"She's going to kick your ass, man!" Liam cried out as Claire picked up her tray, her dinner spilling everywhere, and leaned over to smack Alex upside the head with her tray. Someone coughed from the side of the table and everyone turned to Oliver.

"This would be a lot more fun if you guys weren't forcing me to take my meds," he stated, taking Colleen's seat.

"If we didn't force you to take your meds, you'd be bugging out right about now," Liam told him. Oliver nodded and watched as Claire glared at Alex, who was rubbing the side of his head.

"What the fuck?" he hissed. She glared at him and crossed her arms.

"You are just a complete asshole!" she snapped. Oliver raised his eyebrows and glanced back at Rupert.

"Are they always like this?" he asked. Rupert shrugged.

"More or less, usually there is pudding involved," he said.

"You can't just hit people with fucking trays!"

"No, but I can kick your ass, what the hell are you-"

"Oh look, the away team is back!" Liam said. The table paused as they watched the three senior officers walk into the cafeteria. All of them, except for Spock, looked quite tired and a little worn.

"Jesus, did they do reconnaissance, or did they run a marathon?" Alex asked. Liam smirked widely and nudged Claire.

"I told you, one giant orgy," he whispered. She rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, you are so immature," she hissed. She took a bite of her dinner and glanced up. She did not fail to take notice that Jim looked a little troubled, and contributed it to the lack of sleep he must have gotten.

"Is it just me, or does Kirk seem a little… out of it?" She asked. Alex shrugged and grabbed her dessert.

"I don't know, I don't pay attention to him. Apparently, you are the only one who takes time to actually watch him every minute of every day." Claire rolled her eyes. She saw Jim glance over, and for the first time in a long time, a flirtatious smirk was not plastered on his lips. Instead, a look of concentration was etched on his gorgeous face, and he quickly looked away.

"He looks really troubled…" Claire said, mostly to herself. Part of her could not believe that something could get under his skin, as it appeared to be now. Even while his crew was under attack by the rouge Starfleet members, he was determined and calm. Now he looked distressed and unsure. Claire hated to admit it, but it was kind of irking her.

"I'm the one who got smacked upside the head with your tray. I'm the one who should be troubled!" Alex snapped, causing the whole table to glare at him. Claire turned back to Kirk, but he was gone.

"You're just mentally disturbed," Claire shot back.

"I am too…" Oliver mumbled to himself as he began making a snowman out of the mashed potatoes that lay untouched on his tray, but no one paid any attention to him.

"I'm not above taking advantage of him," Liam purred, scooting closer to Alex who scooted closer to Claire to get away.

"I think I'm done, unless Claire plans on giving me her pudding." Without a word, Claire slid her pudding to him.

"He really doesn't deserve your pudding, Claire," Rupert pointed out, but Alex stuck out his tongue.

"You're just jealous because I'm Claire's pudding buddy. Man, I love pudding," Alex said happily, shoving his spoon into the cup of chocolate pudding.

"Oh yes, I'm so jealous. I normally just give my pudding to Oliver because I can't eat chocolate." Oliver happily grabbed the pudding off Rupert's tray and began using it to create hair for his snowman.

"That really sucks, Rupert. I'd go crazy if I couldn't eat chocolate," Claire stated as she watched Oliver concentrate on perfecting his food snowman.

"I'd go crazy if I couldn't eat pudding. Hey Liam, can I have your pudding?" Alex asked, placing his empty pudding cup next to the one he had gotten with his own dinner. Liam gave him a devious smile and leaned closer to Alex.

"If by pudding you mean my man juices, then yes. You can have my pudding all night long," he cooed in Alex's ear, who jumped up from his seat. His boot got caught on his seat and he fell to the ground with a painful thud.

"I-I'll see you g-guys l-later," he stuttered, scrambling to his feet and practically running out of the room. Claire paused before hysterically laughing, causing the rest of the table to do the same.

"You guys crack me up, you don't even know!"

* * *

"Liam, I need you to make sure Rocky is fed, I'm working graveyard shift with Alex tonight, so I can't stop by to feed him," Claire said. It was late at night, and most doctors had already taken off, including Doctor McCoy.

"I'll trade shifts with you," Liam said. She paused and sent him a knowing look.

"Liam…" he sighed.

"Alright, I'll feed your dog. Make sure you don't work yourself to death," he told her. She nodded and sat down at the main desk. Liam left and she was left practically alone. Alex was working, but by this time, he was probably passed out on a patient's bed. Claire ran a hand through her hair, happy that she got a chance to take a shower before her shift, and went to her work. Not even thirty minutes later, the doors opened and Kirk walked in. He froze for a second when he saw her, but walked over anyway.

"Is Bones in?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No, he decided to take the night off to catch up on sleep. Apparently he had trouble sleeping during the away mission," she answered. She did not fail to notice Kirk's cheeks tinting a very light shade of red, but ignored it.

"Damn, that's a shame," he muttered. Claire leaned forward a bit and looked up into his blue eyes.

"Jim… are you alright? You look a little worn," she told him. He paused, his eyes tracing over her face before speaking.

"I had a dream about you last night," he said. She blinked and shook her head, as if she was having a hard time hearing him.

"I'm sorry?" she asked.

"I had a dream about you last night, that's why I'm a little tired." She turned red looked away.

"Oh. By dream, you mean that you were having a dream about some random event and I happened to be there in the background. Right?" she asked.

"No… it was more like, you and I were in a room together with hardly any clothes on," he answered. Her face seemed to turn several shades darker than normal, and she had the urge to bury her face in her hands.

"Oh… that's… nice…" there was a silence before Kirk walked around and sat on the desk next to her.

"Come on, tell me the truth… why won't you just say yes to a date with me?" he asked.

"Captain, I-"

"Claire… please, let's just be honest with each other," he pleaded. She stood up, so she would be level with him, and took a deep breath.

"You really want to know why?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, I do," he said. She paused before she spoke.

"It's just about the chase. That's all. It's all about the fact that I keep saying no, and that drives you crazy. If I say yes, and we do things your way, we'll go on a few dates, have sex, and you'll end up breaking up with me within a week. And I can't do that. I've been hurt too much in the past to have that type of relationship. My heart can't afford to be used than dumped." She stopped for a second, and they just stared at each other intensely for a second before she spoke again.

"I really do like you, a lot more than I should. But until it's more than the chase for you, I'm just going to keep saying no. So, if it's more than just the fact that you want me because I keep saying no, tell me now. If that's not the case, I would just give up and go for someone else. Because I'm too scared to let my heart get broken again," she said. There was a long silence before she turned around and walked toward a patient, leaving Jim alone back at the table to stare at her receding form.

* * *

"Are you positive?" Nurse Chapel asked. Claire nodded as she glanced down at Riley.

"He said take him off the sedatives. He's been under them too long, any longer and they will start effecting his health." Nurse Chapel nodded and pressed a few buttons on his monitor. After a second, Nurse Chapel looked back at Claire.

"It'll take about an hour before he will wake up, do you want me to stay with him?" she asked. Claire shook her head.

"No, I'll stay. I'll call you when he wakes up," she said. Chapel nodded and walked off to another patient, while Claire sat down in a chair near his bed and let her mind wander.

She was a bit worried about how the man would react when he woke up. There was a chance that he would wake up fine, a little sad, but all around fine. Then, there was also a chance that he could wake up, completely depressed, and maybe even loose the will to live. Lastly, there was the slight chance the man could wake up and feel nothing but anger, since he was sedated when he was angry. She wasn't sure which one was worse, but she knew that if he woke up angry, he was a danger to himself, and especially everyone around him. If that was the case, he would probably need to be secluded in order not to hurt anyone. She only hoped Jim Kirk was as far away from sickbay as possible.

Jim Kirk. Even his name was enough to put her in a bad mood. Ever since he had come down to sickbay that night, he had been sure to stay clear of her. She didn't see him in sickbay, nor in the cafeteria, he was careful not to run into her at all. A part of her was relieved, yet another part of her was disappointed. A part of her wanted him to leave her the hell alone, yet another part of her wanted him to convince her to spend the night with him, or something to that effect.

The sound of someone stirring made her abandon her thoughts and glance down at the bed, to see Riley beginning to wake up.

"Chapel!" she called. Christine ran over and looked down at the man, her eyebrows furrowing.

"He's not supposed to be up for another forty minutes," she said.

"Well, obviously he's waking up…" Claire said in panic as Riley's eyes slowly blinked opened. His confused hazel eyes stared up into her concerned grey eyes.

"What do we do, Dr. Conaway?" Nurse Chapel asked as she checked Riley's vitals.

"I don't really know… is he okay?" Claire asked, as she grabbed his wrist to check his pulse.

"His vitals appear to be fine," Nurse Chapel replied as her eyes rapidly scanned his machine.

"Where am I?" Riley asked, causing both Claire and Nurse Chapel to jump. His voice was weak and his eyes searched the room.

"You're in sickbay, Riley," Claire informed him as he tried to sit up. Claire tried to keep him laying down, but he grabbed onto her arm and pulled himself up.

"Where is my wife?" He asked in a hoarse voice. Claire looked up at Nurse Chapel, unsure of what to say.

"Mr. Kline, please calm…" Chapel said as she tried to push him back down, but he shoved her away.

"Don't tell me what to do, where is my wife?" He yelled, turning to Claire for the answer. Claire ran a hand through her hair as she realized that she was going to be in charge for ruining Riley's life a second time.

"Riley… she didn't make it off the ship…" There was a pause for a very long time as Riley let the information sank in.

"I… I remember…" Just as the words left Riley mouth, Dr. McCoy and Kirk walked back into the room.

"Nurse Chapel paged me that you were taking him off the- oh… you're awake, Riley," McCoy said as he walked up to Riley's bed. Riley didn't move or say anything as his eyes locked onto Kirk. Claire had to stifle a gasp of pain as his grip on her arm tightened.

"Riley…" Kirk said, a little unsure. Riley said nothing, but if his grip on her arm got any tighter, she would need a new one.

"Mr. Kline…" Chapel said, looking at his heart rate, which was climbing a bit.

"Get him out of here," Riley hissed. Even Claire had to flinch at the harshness of his tone. Kirk frowned, hearing his friend's obvious animosity with him.

"Riley… I'm so sorry," Jim said. Riley didn't move, but his grip tightened and Claire actually did give out a small cry of pain, causing everyone's eyes to land on her.

"His heart rate is climbing, Doctor McCoy," Nurse Chapel said. McCoy nodded and made his way over to the medicine cabinet. Jim just watched as Riley's hazel eyes glared at him, while his grip on Claire's arm seemed to unrelenting.

"Get out," Riley hissed.

"I went back for her, I just-"

"GET OUT!" Riley shouted. Kirk took a step back, but didn't leave.

"Riley…" Claire turned to him.

"Get out, you're making things worse," she hissed. He looked at her, then back to Riley. When he didn't leave, Riley tried to stand up, his heart rate elevating. Claire tried to push him back down, but had having much difficulty doing so. Eventually Kirk turned around and left, not being able to bear to see his friend like this much longer.

"We need some restraints," Chapel called. McCoy tried to help Claire hold Riley down, but Riley elbow McCoy in the face and caused him to fall back into Nurse Chapel.

"Riley, stop!" Claire called, trying to hold Riley back. Riley turned to Claire and back handed her. Claire felt the sharp pain as flesh smacked flesh and felt backwards onto a patient bed besides Riley. Riley threw the sheets off his bed and struggled to get to his feet. Claire looked up to see McCoy jumping to his feet.

"Nurse Chapel, get Alex!" McCoy yelled as he dove across the bed to tackle Riley, but Riley shrugged the man off and kicked his fallen body in the stomach. Nurse Chapel paged Alex who came running into the room. Claire watched helplessly as Alex tried to force Riley back, but Riley was much stronger than the doctor.

"I will not be stopped!" Riley screamed as he head butted Alex and kicked the smaller man's feet out. Alex fell to the ground and Riley took off running before anyone else could stop him.

"Someone notify security. We have a real problem on our hands!" McCoy yelled as he struggled to his feet. Blood was pouring down his face from where Riley elbowed him.

"Dr. McCoy, you need help…" Nurse Chapel said, running to his side, but he pushed her aside and turned to Claire.

"What happened?" He demanded.

"He didn't remember Amy's death at first… I had to remind him of it and he freaked out," Claire explained as Alex got to his feet.

"I'll get security," Alex stated as he ran out of the room.

"For fucks sake, what were you thinking?" McCoy snapped. Claire pushed herself up and absentmindedly rubbed her cheek.

"He needed to know, he would've remembered eventually," she argued. McCoy sighed and glared at her angrily.

"Stupid… so stupid. Go and find him, I'll alert the captain." Claire didn't say anything as she walked out of sickbay, her hand still on her cheek. Before she could get three feet away, she almost ran into Jim.

"Claire… what happened?" he asked. Claire sighed; she didn't have time to chat.

"He escaped, he's somewhere around the ship," she told him. Before she could walk away, he grabbed her hand and pulled her over to get a look at her cheek.

"Claire…" she pulled away.

"I have to go," she told him, walking toward the lift and hitting a random button, hoping she could find Riley soon.

* * *

Claire was sure that whoever made this ship, intended it to be a maze just to screw around with its crewmen. She felt like she had searched half the ship, and had heard no news of Riley at all. She had been in engineering, and had been told that Riley was there, but was now gone. The man was sneaky, she'd give him that. She was now checking out the shuttle bays, making sure that he wasn't hiding in there. She entered the first and noticed the lights had already been turned on.

"Riley!" she called. She got no answer and decided to venture farther into the bay. She heard a noise and looked over, catching him as he hid behind a pile of cargo boxes. She pulled out her communicator immediately.

"Security, we have a hostile patient in shuttle bay three, report immediately," she said. She didn't bother to hear the answer as she closed her communicator and took a step forward. Just as she did, the doors opened and Alex walked up to her.

"You found him?" he asked. She nodded and they both walked over to where they saw him run. When they turned at the corner to meet him, they both stopped short when they saw him standing in front of them, a phaser in hand.

"Riley…" Claire whispered.

"You knew what he did, yet he still is walking around free," Riley hissed. Claire froze and glanced at Alex, who was watching him carefully.

"Riley… it was an accident; there was nothing he could-"

"Shut up!" Riley hissed at him. His hand was shaking slightly as he held the phaser out. His eyes had gone from a sweet hazel to an angry light brown. Claire took a hesitant step closer.

"She wanted me to tell you something before she died," Claire said, trying to calm Riley down. Riley lowered the phaser slightly.

"She did?" He asked, his eyes welling up at the thought of his loved one. Alex took a step forward as well, but Riley returned his phaser to its former position.

"It's okay, Alex," Claire said as she took a few more tentative steps towards Riley.

"What did my wife say?" Riley demanded, though a lot more curious than angry.

"She wanted me to tell you that she loved you and to move on with your life. She also said to not be mad at Jim, he did everything he could," she explained as Riley finally lowered his phaser.

"She did?" He asked weakly, as his eyes welled up once again. Claire nodded as Alex coughed from behind her.

"Claire, don't lie to him," he snapped, glaring at Riley. A tear slid down Riley's cheek as he starred at Claire in disbelief.

"What?" He asked, astonished.

"Alex, shut up!" Claire snapped as she rounded on Alex.

"You lied to me? You lied…" Riley asked, still completely shocked at Claire's words. After a second, he raised the phaser again. No longer was the hurt face of a man scorned. Now before them stood a man out for blood.

"Claire, watch out!" Alex cried, running forward to tackle Claire out of the way as Riley's finger pulled the trigger of the phaser. They hit the floor just in time as the ray of red light shot above them. Claire looked up to see Riley's retreating form entering through a shuttle craft door. Jim and Spock came around the corner behind them, obviously hearing the phaser fire.

"Shit, where is he headed?" Jim asked as he fell to the floor next to Claire and Alex.

"He prepared a shuttle for launch. He's escaping the ship!" Alex replied as Spock fly past them to the shuttle.

"We've got to stop him!" Jim cried out as he jumped to his feet and followed Spock. Claire turned to Alex.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Claire snapped as she pushed herself up onto her knees. Alex mimicked her actions as he returned the nasty glare she was sending him.

"You were lying to him! The guy is already messed up enough and you lied to him!" He yelled, watching Jim and Spock try to open the shuttle door.

"I was trying to calm him down!" she snapped. Alex rolled his eyes and they both went to help the captain and Spock, only to fall back when Riley turned on the shuttle. Kirk and Spock fell backwards and Alex shielded Claire from the shuttle as he headed for the door. Claire noticed and broke away from Alex, running toward the control panel on the wall.

"Claire!" Alex shouted. Jim's head shot up and watched as she sprinted to the wall, her blonde hair falling out of its tie. _What the hell was she doing? _He thought. Claire reached the panel and quickly began to type furiously, watching as a force field appeared between the group and the shuttle. The men looked at her confused until they saw Riley shoot a hole in the bay and fly out, causing all the items between the door and the force field to fly out into space. Riley then flew out of the bay and warped into space, leaving the _Enterprise_ in the dust.

The room was silent as Kirk stood up and began to call up to the bridge. Claire didn't hear a word he said as she leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath. She briefly wondered what would have happened had Riley believed her. He probably would not have taken off so soon, that was for sure.

"Claire…" she glanced over at Alex, who was looking down at her.

"What?" she hissed.

"We should head back up to sickbay," he told her. He reached out to take her arm, but she moved away from him.

"I can take myself, thank you," she hissed. He sighed and walked after her, leaving Kirk and Spock in the shuttle bay alone.

"What is your problem?" he asked.

"Why did you have to say that? We could've gotten him to sickbay just fine and none of that would've happened," she snapped.

"So you're just going to lie to the guy? How the hell does that make sense to you?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"I tried to tell him the truth, but he flipped out. Obviously being honest with him was not the answer," she snapped. Both of them were so into their argument, that they didn't even notice Kirk and Spock walking up to them.

"You should always be honest with your patients, always Claire," Alex snapped.

"Don't talk to me like I'm five Alex. I am honest with patients. The man was about to kill us, you really want to tell him that we couldn't save her and she died alone?" she asked. He glared at her for a minute longer before speaking.

"I'd rather be told the truth, than have someone lie to me about my dead wife," he hissed.

"Good, well when that happens to you, I'll make sure to tell you that straight away," she snapped. He stopped following her and folded his arms.

"I would be happy if you did. Yes, I would be heartbroken that I lost my wife, but I'd want to know. I'd want the doctor treating me to tell me the truth," he stated as Claire stopped as well. She turned around to face him, her face red with anger.

"Stop saying that! I did what I thought was best for this ship and for Riley. He needs help," Claire yelled as Alex just glared.

"He needed someone to be honest to him and be there for him. You lied to him," Alex stated.

"Yeah, and you lied to me about my brother being in sickbay when he was here! I had to hear it from him!" Claire snapped, her eyes welling up as she gestured to Kirk. Alex unfolded his arms and pointed to Claire.

"I was always honest with you when Ryan was rushed into sickbay. If you had shown up when I was trying to save his life, I would have been honest with you. He was going to die, Claire, but I poured everything I had into saving his life. I was too busy saving his life to inform you that we found him. If you can't be honest with someone, then what?" He snapped and trudged past her back to sickbay. Claire paused, tears forming behind her lost grey eyes.

"Spock, please head back to the bridge," Kirk instructed as he walked up next to Claire. Spock nodded and left the two of them alone. When he was gone, Kirk looked back to her, only to see her trying to wipe away the tears falling down her cheeks.

"You okay?" he asked. She nodded.

"I'm fine," she whispered. She leaned against the wall and took a deep breath in order to calm herself. She couldn't continue to cry. She had to take another minute and go back to sickbay, acting as if she hadn't had a fight with her best friend. When she finally did collect herself, she glanced up at the Captain, who was leaning on the wall across from her.

"Are you okay?" she asked. He sighed and shook his head.

"He was right…" he muttered. She frowned.

"Who?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Riley…" Claire sighed and pushed herself off the wall and walked over to the wall, leaning against it for support next to him.

"Why?" she asked. He looked at her, his eyebrows furrowing.

"I'm sorry?" he asked.

"Why is he right?" Kirk paused as he thought it over.

"I didn't save her," he answered.

"You got caught in an explosion, how were you supposed to save her if you were unconscious?" she asked. He paused before shrugging.

"I don't know…" they sat in silence for a minute before he spoke. "I let him down… I let one of my best friends down," he said. She looked down at the floor.

"Everyone let's someone down eventually. People have expectations of us, and sometimes we just can't meet them, no matter how hard we try," she told him.

"I killed his-"

"You didn't do anything… everyone knows that if you could've, you would've saved her. You can't do it all, no matter how much you try to. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and do something about it. Go after him, try harder next time. Don't sit around and sob about stuff that you have no control over," she told him, looking up to meet his eyes. He just stared at her for a moment before a small smirk made its way to his lips.

"Way to be so forward," he said. She gave a small laugh and rolled her eyes.

"Hi pot, this is kettle, just calling to let you know… you're black," she said. He laughed and pushed himself off the wall, only to position himself right in front of her. She felt her heartbeat quicken as he moved closer. She suddenly felt as if she would be nauseous, but she was sure that was just the butterflies in her stomach going off.

"Thank you," he whispered, his mint fresh breath hitting her face, like feathers caught in a strong breeze.

"O-Of course. What are friends for?" she asked, stuttering at first. He didn't frown, but he was no longer smirking either.

"Just friends… nothing more?" he asked. He leaned his head down, and she lost her breath.

"You know my position on that," she whispered. He raised a hand to stroke her cheek, and she felt as if her skin was on fire.

"I know…" he muttered.

"Do you have an answer?" she asked. He paused for a minute, his eyes searching over her face. The suspense was causing her heart to clench, and if she was stuck another moment without him saying anything, she was going to go crazy.

Without warning, he leaned forward, his lips hovering just centimeters above her own. His breath hit her lips, and she felt waves of excitement rush through her body, and they hadn't even kissed.

"No… I don't…" he muttered. She said nothing as he leaned down even more, and his lips pressed softly against hers. The moment they touched, she was positive that fireworks were going on in the background. His lips moved slowly against hers, and the only thing she could think of was how soft and warm his lips were. Her mind couldn't process anything, and before she knew it, her hands reached up, one intertwined in his dark blonde hair, and the other on his cheek.

His own hand dropped down to the back of her neck, pulling her lips a bit closer to him. His other hand was around her waist, making it impossible for her to pull away. She felt his tongue lick her lower lip lightly, and she responded by opening her mouth and letting his tongue explore her taste. She briefly enjoyed his own taste before he pulled away suddenly, causing her to gasp for breath. Before she could reply, he leaned in once more and gave her a quick, but sensual, kiss.

"Jim…" she whispered. He pulled away from her and let his hand caress her cheek for a moment.

"_Captain Kirk…_" A voice called. He sighed and pulled even farther away from her.

"Yes," he answered.

"_You are needed on the bridge sir,_" he nodded.

"Be right there…" he answered. The two of them stood in silence before he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry…" he muttered before walking off and leaving her in the middle of the hallway to collect her thoughts.

* * *

"Liam, we need to have a girl's night! I need to talk to you!" Claire demanded as she rushed into sickbay. Alex stood in the corner with a patient, glaring at Claire out of the corner of his eye. Liam looked up from his computer and walked over to Claire with a quick glance towards Alex.

"Would it have anything to do with the nasty glare that Alex is sending you?" He asked, pulling up a chair to face the distressed blonde.

"No, more along the lines of Jim's lips on mine kind of drama," she explained in panicked tone. Liam smiled.

"Really? That's great news! I don't understand why you seem so depressed about it," Liam stated as Claire ran both her hands through her hair.

"I'll explain it to you later, not here. I don't want any nosey assholes interrupting," she stated with a glance at Alex. Alex dropped his patient's chart on the bed, startling the engineer on the bed, and turned to her.

"I can hear every word you just said," he snapped. She crossed her arms and glared at him.

"What are you going to do about it?" she hissed. He walked up to her, his glare never faltering.

"You are a pain in the ass, you know that," he snapped.

"Guys, what's going on?" Liam asked.

"She's a fucking liar!" Alex snapped.

"I tried to tell him the truth, and he ended up flipping out on us. How the hell were you going to stop him?" she snapped. He just glared at her.

"You were wrong, and I'm not going to forgive you until you apologize," he hissed. They stood in a long silence before Claire finally gave a heavy sigh. Right now, the last thing she needed was to be in a fight with her best friend. She didn't think she was at all wrong, but he didn't need to know that.

"You're right," she whispered. Alex seemed a little shocked.

"Are… What?" he asked.

"You're right. It was wrong of me to lie, I'm sorry I yelled at you. Can you forgive me?" she asked. He paused before absentmindedly nodding.

"Sure… I have to get back to work. I'll catch up with you later." Claire smiled and watched him walk away. Liam raised an eyebrow and glanced at her.

"Did you just… you really think he's right?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"Of course not! I'm just… I'm so tired of fighting," she muttered. Liam paused.

"So you just lied to him? Confirming his accusation that you're a liar?" He asked. Claire shook her head at his statement.

"It wasn't so much that I lied, as much as me just trying to stop fighting with him," Claire defended as Liam rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say. So shall we have a girl's night tonight at your room? We can play with Rocky and do each other's nails. Besides, I need to take some more medical shirts out of your closest," Claire nodded absentmindedly as Liam rambled off, turning to go do her own work. Just as she was about to pick up a patient's chart, she froze.

"Wait, you're the one who keeps stealing my shirts? I thought it was Rocky hiding them!" Liam scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I have no idea what you're talking about! I'll uh… see you later tonight!" He cried out as he ran into the other room, leaving Claire behind.

"Liam! LIAM! GET YOUR FLAMBOYANT ASS BACK HERE!"

* * *

"Hey, you three. Get over here!" Dr. McCoy called as he entered sickbay from his office. Claire, Alex, and Liam rushed over to the head doctor and waited patiently as he cleared his throat.

"What's up?" Alex asked. McCoy glared at him.

"Chambers, you're on graveyard shift tonight. Now, I just heard from the bridge that we're departing back to earth. After half our security team got wiped out on that away mission to that old Starfleet base, we need more crew members."

"So what does that have to do with us?" Liam asked.

"It means, that you won't have as much shore leave as you would like… you'll have to do a ton of physicals and good stuff like that. Peterson, Conaway, take the night off. We should be back at earth tomorrow. Get some rest," he said.

"Wait… why do they get the night off?" Alex asked.

"Because I said so, now shut up and get to work," he snapped. Alex sighed and turned back to his patient, while Claire and Liam said a quick goodbye and walked down the hall, stopping and waiting for the lift.

"So… what should we do tonight?" Claire sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I don't know. I'm so stressed and tired," she muttered. Liam raised an eyebrow.

"About Kirk?" he asked. She nodded and they bother entered the lift.

"I just… I'm so confused. I was not expecting him to kiss me like that, let alone to kiss him back so eagerly." Liam frowned.

"Claire… why would it be such a problem for you to just have a quick relationship with him?" he asked. She didn't answer as the doors opened and they headed to her room. She opened the door and almost fell back as Rocky jumped up and placed his front paws on her. He was much bigger than he was a few months ago, and Claire was sure he'd been in need of a new cage.

"Okay, what I'm about to tell you stays within these walls. Is that understood?" Claire asked as she kicked her boots off and headed for her head. Liam walked over to Claire's closest after giving Rocky a scratch behind the ear.

"You know me, Claire-bear; I can keep your secret a secret!" He declared, ripping the door of her closest open.

"That's what I'm afraid of," she mumbled as she let herself fall backwards onto her bed. The bed squealed under her weight, but the sheets were soft, warm, and oh-so-welcoming.

"So spill." Claire looked up to see Liam holding up her medical shirts up to his body and looking at himself in the mirror.

"I… was in a relationship with this guy a few years ago. It started right before we started at the academy. Darren, well, he didn't like the idea of me leaving him to go into space. He ended up picking a lot of fights with me and after a while, the fights turned pretty one-sided," she explained, nervously playing with the hem of her shirt. Liam looked up from trying on her shirts to see the nostalgic look in her eyes.

"Go on," he encouraged, setting the shirt in his hands down as he crossed the room to her bed. Claire didn't even bat an eyelash as the bed sank under his weight. She was too absorbed in her own thoughts to even acknowledge his presence.

"He just… I don't know. He started off so nice. He was charming, kind; sweet… it was hard to say no to him. He was my first serious boyfriend, my first sexual experience…" She said. Liam raised an eyebrow.

"You don't sound like you're too happy about it," he said. She sighed.

"We'd only been dating about two months before he convinced me that he needed to 'express' his love for me. I wasn't too sure about taking the next step, it just seemed so soon. He convinced me that if I didn't have sex with him, he wouldn't be able to love me, thus no one else would be able to love me. So I gave in…" there was a silence between them, where Liam just watched her carefully.

"Claire…"

"You know… most girls remember their first time being romantic. They remember the guy being sweet and caring. I just remember the pain, I remember the pain and waking up alone," Claire whispered. Liam watched as her eyes seem to glaze over, and he thought she was in a distant world for a moment.

"Did he leave you?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No… we were together for almost a year after that. Of course, there was a lot more sex. It eventually got better, and the sex didn't seem like such a bad thing, but there was nothing else. Just sex, and pretty much him controlling me every chance he got. When I didn't listen to him, he just told me how much of a bitch I was and how lucky I was to have a man like him, who could deal with my bullshit."

"Did you realize he was…?" Liam railed off and Claire looked at him.

"Abusive? No… I didn't realize until…" this time she trailed off, and she felt tears weld up in her eyes.

"Until what?" Claire took a deep breath and wiped away a few tears.

"I thought I was pregnant, it turns out I wasn't, but I was a bit late and I needed him to go with me to take a pregnancy test. Of course, he didn't like that, and we were already fighting because of crap with his and my parents. We were in front of his friend's apartment building and arguing. He wanted me to get rid of it, and I didn't. So he shoved me down two flights of stairs," Claire stopped, letting her mind wander once again.

"Oh my god…" Liam's jaw fell open as Claire nodded, struggling to fight back the tears that were brought up at the memory.

"Needless to say, Ryan was flipping shit when he found out. I was in the hospital for a few days because they thought that I might have had brain damage. Thankfully I was fine and got my period a few days later, signaling that I wasn't pregnant at all," she finished, wiping away at her eyes again. Liam laid down next to Claire and slung an arm across her stomach.

"I'm sorry, babe. That explains a lot of things about you and about Ryan too. That's why he was all overprotective and stuff, right?" He asked, pulling Claire closer to him. She leaned into his comforting hug and laid her head upon his shoulder.

"Yeah, he was always afraid that I'd get myself in another one of those relationships. I was too, actually, but I was still open to a relationship with a guy. But Jim…" Clair trailed off, her eyes glued to the ceiling.

"Yeah, Kirk isn't really the kind of guy that girl's like you would want a boyfriend to be like." She nodded.

"Yeah… but it's just… That kiss," she mumbled.

"What about it?" he asked. She sighed.

"It was… perfect. I felt like I was taking my first breath of fresh air. I've never felt so out of breath until that kiss," she told him. Liam frowned.

"You got it bad, Claire…" he told her.

"I know… but it's just… there is something about him. Just looking at him makes my stomach set off a ton of butterflies. His eyes make me want to melt, his smile makes my knees week. He can be so kind and sweet. He can make me laugh at the stupidest of things. He's the only guy who has made my heart beat faster and slower at the same time…" Liam sighed and patted her shoulder.

"Oh Claire… you have it so bad, I'm surprised you've made it this long," Liam said.

"I know… hopefully shore leave will give me time to clear my head," she muttered.

"I hope so, for both your sakes…"

_**

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Jeck:

_You like, readers? I like. You like, Raxsah?  
__**Raxsah: **__Oh yeah, readers are awesome… you know what amazing? Reviews…  
__**Jeck: **__You know what's more awesome than that? Well, other then random gropings, that is.  
__**Raxsah: **__Uh… no… I don't.  
__**Jeck: **__That doesn't constitute as a guess. Thanks for playing along buddy. Anyway, review reply time!_

_**Cigarette Games  
**__**Jeck: **__Well, congratulations on jizzing in your pants. I'm sure your pants appreciate that a whole lot. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far and I think you'll continue to enjoy it, seeing as we're actually almost done the story.  
__**Raxsah: **__I'm glad you like it. I hope the story made you smile at least a little. :D We will be sure to keep it up. Though perfection is a bit much, the compliment is appreciated. I'd say we're almost perfect._

_**Parallel Days  
**__**Raxsah: **__I'm glad you like this chapter. I can't wait to see the reaction to my favorite chapter. Lol. I'm glad you can picture everything in your head clearly, I was a little worried I was being too vague.  
__**Jeck: **__First, I just want to thank you for being such a loyal reader/reviewer. It makes me happy. Plenty of humor and good moments to come, so keep reading. We enjoy it. :3_

_**Morgan  
**__**Jeck: **__Now this would be the review I wanted to reply to. Raxsah, I'm sure, wants to explain the reason why McCoy is an asshole, but I have to put my two cents in. First off, your opinion is welcomed, but not in a hostile way. Saying that our story makes you sick? Well then why are you reading it? We don't need your bashing. Your comment would have been fine without that last part. We'd appreciate it if we received no more comments like that. Okay? Thanks. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__There is a reason McCoy comes off as an asshole. Number 1: we're going off of the Alternate Timeline McCoy, who came off as a bit of an asshole. 2: You have to realize you are seeing McCoy through Claire's POV, and Claire is a bit spoiled and is not used to having someone being so strict with her. So, from a spoiled brats POV, McCoy would be an asshole. 3: McCoy is being hard on her because he's running a sickbay, and if you screw up there, someone dies. He does get a bit better the more you read. The fact that you made it to chapter four and stopped is just sad. If you bothered to read further, than you would see he does get a bit better. Claire still thinks he's an asshole though._

_**amberhathaway  
**__**Raxsah: **__Glad you liked it. I thought the ending was great too. That's what comes up after mass amounts of sugar, and sitting at the heart to heart table talking about random shit. Hahahaaa  
__**Jeck: **__Sadly, the heart to heart table is gone. But the random funny shit will continue to live on, so continue to read on. We is funny._

_**Lilly Romanov   
**__**Jeck: **__Raxsah was the one who really created Liam. And Claire for that matter. However, I am the one behind pudding cups. Don't worry, pudding cups have some drama in the future, so keep reading. Actually, so does Liam and Claire. Anyway, keep reading. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__Funny what stuff comes up when your best friend get's her wisdom teeth pulled and your stuck listening to her talk about her favorite pudding cup while on drugs. Hashanah. Liam is one of my favorites too. We're glad you liked it. I'm glad you don't think Claire is a Mary-sue… it's hard for me to not make those.  
_

_**Raxsah: **__Alright, since we're pressed for time, we'll say a quick goodbye and ask for more reviews.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, we're quick and easy today. Next time though, you might not be so lucky. ;3 Later all!_


	10. What About Now?

_**Jeck: **__Hey, hey, hey, hey… WE'RE BACK!  
__**Raxsah: **__And better than ever! For the most part.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, there have been a few ups and downs, but we're good for the most part. Except for the p on Raxsah's laptop…  
__**Raxsah: **__Le sigh, my poor key. That's what you get when you have no good cousins use your laptop… and car. Oh, my poor car.  
__**Jeck: **__It's okay. You'll get a nice new one. Now, moving onto the story and all it's goodness.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, the good story which is not in pieces. Now we are getting to the good part of the story, almost the middle… right?  
__**Jeck: **__Not really. Considering we're almost to page 500. :3 We'll be done soon.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, then we shall work on our next project. But until then, we will continue to update this little bugger. We might have to do it weekly if we want to get it done before college starts.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, but we're pretty awesome so it shouldn't be a problem. We should probably get to the story now, so enjoy._

_**

* * *

**_

_****_

Chapter 10;

_**What About Now?**_

* * *

The shuttle ride seemed to take years in Claire's mind, but the minute they docked, she couldn't have been happier. She grabbed her bag and waited for Alex and Liam to grab their own carry off bags.

"So, I was thinking tomorrow night, we should all go out for dinner," Liam said.

"Like… bar dinner?" Alex asked.

"No, like… an actual dinner," Liam said.

"Sounds good to me, I plan on hitting a bar with Trisha and a few of my academy friends tonight," Claire said. Alex smiled.

"Mind if I join?" he asked. She shook her head as the three of them began to walk off the shuttle and into the shuttle bay.

"Nope, are you in Liam?" she asked. Liam frowned and stopped with Claire and she picked up Rocky.

"I can't I'm working tonight. Of course I get the first shift, lame," Liam muttered. He leaned over and scratched Rocky's ear before sighing.

"That sucks, well… I'll have dinner with you tomorrow," Claire said.

"Yeah… I guess I will too," Alex said, also leaning over to pet the young dog. Once the boys left, Claire began navigating her way through the docking bay.

"So this is the infamous Rocky, huh? Like dog, like owner," a familiar voice said from behind Claire. She whirled around as Rocky pulled on his leash, struggling to run up to the blonde haired man.

"RYAN!" Claire squealed, causing a few other Starfleet officers to look at her. She dashed as her brother as Rocky lead the way.

"Claire-bear!" Ryan said, chuckling as Claire threw herself into his arms. It had been a long six months since they'd seen each other and this was exactly what they needed. Of course they tried to talk as much as they could, but it was hard between boot camp for Ryan and the insane medical shifts that McCoy assigned to Claire. Claire felt safe and happy in his arms, almost like coming home. His grip was tight, but strong and it made Claire forget all about her love problems.

"I've missed you so much!" Claire said excitedly, pulling away and taking in her brother's new look. His dirty blonde hair looked a bit dark and his skin was a few shade darker. His hair had grown back some, but it appeared as if he was still keep it short. The front looked like he had run some gel through it, but the biggest difference were his eyes. Claire immediately noticed how much more alive Ryan looked, his eyes reflecting his newfound outlook.

"I've missed you too. I've got some good news for you though," Ryan told her, leaning down to pick up Rocky who was whining for attention. Rocky snuggled closer to Ryan and licked his chin happily as he scratched the dog behind the ear.

"What is it?" Claire asked anxiously, watching her brother and her dog bond. It really was cute.

"RYAN CONAWAY! THERE YOU ARE!" Ryan froze as the familiar sound of his girlfriend rang through the air.

"Colleen," he said, putting down the dog and turning toward the blonde. She ran up to him and engulfed him in a hug. They stayed close for a moment before Ryan pulled away and placed a soft but sensual kiss on her lips. She pulled away and smiled widely.

"Miss me?" she asked.

"Like crazy," he answered. She giggled and kissed him once more.

"Uh, hello? I was totally having a moment here!" Claire snapped. Colleen pulled away and shot her a look.

"I'll give him back to you in five minutes," she replied, turning back to his lips. Claire sighed and looked at Rocky, who just tilted his head at the couple.

"No respect, I swear Rocky," she muttered. Ryan sighed and pulled away from his girlfriend before turning back to his sister.

"You know I love you, Claire… it's just… been a while," he said. She rolled her eyes and the three of them began walking out of the shuttle bay.

"So, what is this big news you have to tell me?" Claire asked, picking up her dog and cuddling him close.

"Oh, right. They've assigned me to a ship," he told the girls. Colleen smiled widely.

"Really? That's great, Ryan!" she said, pulling him into a hug.

"What ship?" Claire asked. Ryan's smile grew wider.

"The _Enterprise,"_ he said. Claire paused before a grin broke out on her own face.

"You serious?" she asked. He nodded. Claire squealed and pulled him into a hug, ignoring Rocky's sudden squirming. When they pulled away, Colleen placed another kiss on his lips.

"That's excellent," she said. He nodded.

"Yeah, apparently you guys suddenly just lost half of your security staff… want to explain?" he asked. Colleen looked at Claire, who suddenly seemed very busy with making sure Rocky was showered with hugs and kisses.

"It's… a long story," Colleen explained. He raised an eyebrow at the two of them.

"You'll have to tell me sometime. Anyway, because of my marks, and experience on the _Berlin,_ they made me Chief of Security," he told them.

"Look at you, climbing the ranks, that would make you… a lieutenant commander now… right?" he nodded. Claire scrunched her nose.

"Damn, you have a higher rank than me," she muttered. Ryan laughed.

"Yeah, by two ranks now," He said. She shook her head.

"Only one, I'm a regular lieutenant now," Claire told him. Ryan turned to Colleen.

"How did that happen?" he asked.

"I have major surgical skills, you don't even know," Claire told him, causing the three of them to laugh.

"Well I'm glad you finally got your shit together," Ryan said after they settled down. Colleen smiled an intertwined her fingers with his.

"You're one to talk Mr. Ex-Engineer," Claire snapped back playfully, giving her brother a slight shove in the shoulder. He gently shoved her back before wrapping his free arm around her neck in a brotherly fashion.

"Hey, I'm finally happy with what I'm doing now. I still love tinkering with things, but protecting people is my new calling," he explained, placing a kiss on top of his sister's head. Colleen just watched as Claire scrunched her face and pulled away.

"Well saving people is mine," she shot back as Rocky barked, backing up his owner. Everyone looked down at the puppy and fawned over how cute he was.

"Well, I'm heading back to my place to get ready to hit the bars tonight. What do you two have planned?" Claire asked as they exited the Starfleet building. Colleen and Ryan both blushed at her question, causing Claire to roll her eyes. "On second thought, please don't answer that."

"Probably best if we don't," he said.

"Ew, okay, I'm ending this conversation before it turns back to the phone sex conversation," Claire said. Ryan's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and Colleen turned pale.

"What…?" Ryan asked. Claire shrugged.

"I'll see you guys later, I'm off to see Trisha," Claire said, running off, Rocky in tow.

"What was she talking about?" Ryan asked. Colleen just shook her head.

"You don't want to know. It's been an interesting six months to say the least," she told him. He smiled and pulled her to him.

"I really did miss you," he whispered, leaning down and capturing her lips with his. She smiled and pulled away.

"We still having dinner tonight?" she asked. He nodded.

"Of course, why?" he asked. She shrugged.

"We've been dating for six months, I think tonight is the night we take things up a notch." He smiled, but the slightest tint of a blush graced his cheeks.

"Oh really? I can't wait," he said. She giggled and they walked to the officer's apartments together.

* * *

"Three days was not enough for shore leave, I hate this ship," Liam muttered. Claire rolled her eyes as she placed her new uniforms in her closet.

"You love this ship, you can't even lie…" Claire said. Rocky glanced up from his chew toy to watch Claire take a few pairs of jeans out of her duffel bag.

"Yeah… there are too many hot guys on this ship not to like it," he replied. Claire smiled and sat down on her bed next to him.

"I guess we have alternate opinions…" Liam rolled his eyes.

"You only say that because you don't know what to do about Kirk," Liam told her. She smacked his arm playfully, and was about to reply, when there was a knock on the door and she walked up to the door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"You're brother… open up." She opened the door and smiled widely at him.

"Hey, Ry… find your room just fine?" she asked. He nodded and walked in, giving a small nod to Liam.

"Yeah… pretty much. I forgot how big the place was," he said. He kneeled down and began scratching Rocky behind the ear, smiling when the pup stuck his tongue out in reply. Claire didn't fail to notice the wrapped box in his hand, and eyed it warily.

"You get used to it," she said. He smiled and showed her the box, causing Liam to raise an eyebrow and Claire to look at him skeptically. He walked up to her and handed her the box, causing her to roll her eyes. "Ryan…"

"Come on… It's a once a year type thing… just take the damn gift," he told her. She sighed and took it from him.

"Thanks…" she muttered.

"You going to open it?" he asked. She paused before sitting down at her desk and ripped the wrapping paper off, revealing a small book in her hand.

"Oh wow… you didn't…" he smiled.

"I saw it on sale and knew you loved it," he replied. Liam raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's _Crime and Punishment_, It's one of my favorite books," she told him.

"I didn't know you read books." Claire rolled her eyes.

"I haven't since coming onto the _Enterprise_… I left most of my books at home," she confessed. She put the book down and pulled her brother into a hug. "Thanks," she whispered.

"Happy Birthday…" he replied. At this, Liam's eyebrows shot to his hairline.

"Birthday? It's your birthday and you didn't tell me?" Claire pulled away from Ryan and rolled her eyes.

"It's not a big deal… I mean, it is for the major years, one, thirteen, sixteen, eighteen, twenty-one… but twenty-three is not a big deal," she said, looking at the book some more. Liam sighed and crossed his arms.

"Woman… you are going to drive me insane," Liam said. Claire laughed and hugged her brother.

"I'm so glad you're here, it's not the same without you around," Claire told him.

"Yeah… I miss being close to everyone. I made a few friends in the security department, but it's nothing like being here," Ryan said. Claire nodded and checked the time.

"I should get going, I have to report for duty in a hour," Claire said.

"Yeah… I need to be back on the security deck in fifteen minutes. I just wanted to drop that off," he said. She nodded and looked at Liam, who had grabbed one of Rocky's chew toys and had begun playing with the dog.

"I'll see you at dinner then," she told him. Ryan nodded and kissed the side of her head before giving a quick wave toward Liam.

"I'll see you then, bye Liam." Liam smiled and waved before standing up as well.

"Claire, I feel bad I didn't get you a birthday present," he said, walking up to her and wrapping a arm around her shoulders.

"Liam, it's no big deal. Ryan's probably the only one who got me anything," she told him, glancing at her book once more. Liam snorted.

"Yeah cause you didn't tell anyone about it. If you had, you'd have a room full of gifts!" He exclaimed, causing Claire to roll her eyes.

"I still don't see what the big deal is. Listen, I'm going to get ready for my shift. Go molest Alex or something," she instructed him as she pulled out one of her medical uniforms and crossed the room to her bedroom. Despite being back on earth, nothing felt quite like home than her room did. Having her brother on the ship made it even more homey.

"Fine, but I need another shirt. THANKS CLAIRE!" Liam said, darting to the closest, grabbing a shirt, and rushing to the door before Claire could stop him.

"LIAM! STOP STEALING MY CLOTHES!" Claire screamed, dropping her clothes and trying to beat Liam to the door. She was unsuccessful as Liam rushed through the door and escaped into the hallway. Rocky barked angrily as Claire stopped at the door and scream obscene things down the hallway.

"I LOVE YOU!" Liam called over his shoulder as he rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. Claire sighed and turned to Rocky.

"I will kill him," she grumbled as the door closed behind her and she entered her bathroom for a nice long and hot shower. She needed something to relax her before putting up with sickbay for the day.

* * *

"… talked to him and it's taken care of." Claire caught the last bit of Liam's hushed words to Alex as she entered sickbay. The two men were so absorbed in their conversation that they didn't even see her walk in. Liam was leaning over Alex's shoulder, who was seated by the computer.

"Sounds good, that means everything is set," Alex replied, though Liam continued leaning over the other man. Claire noticed the way that Alex appeared to almost be leaning back into the flamboyant doctor, a small smirk on his face.

"Set for what?" Claire asked, causing the two men to jump. Alex gave a small jump while Liam squealed, jumped over the chair, and right into Alex's arms. Alex blushed before dropping Liam to the ground.

"Get off of me!" He cried, rising to his feet and walking away. Liam gave him a sly smile as Claire crossed the room to were her gay boyfriend sat.

"Care to explain?" She asked, offering her hand. Liam grabbed it and pulling himself to his feet.

"Nope," he said and smiled.

"I hate it when you do that," Claire mumbled as she turned around and headed to the main station. She started washing her hands at the sink as Liam followed her.

"It's a surprise," he told her, leaning against a wall to watch her work. Claire knitted her eyebrows in frustration.

"I hate surprises too," she stated, reaching across Liam to get some paper towels.

"It wasn't my idea," Liam said, holding his hands up in his defense. Claire rolled her eyes and gave him a small smile.

"It's always your idea." Liam said nothing as Claire walked away again, this time to go check to see if there were any patients. She could practically feel the gay doctor following behind her.

"Alright that's true, but that's not the point. What time is your shift over tonight?" He asked, walking a little faster so that he was walking right next to her. Claire scanned the room to find that the only patient there was under Alex's care.

"I get off around seven, why?" She asked, without really paying attention. Liam clapped his hands together happily.

"Meet me in dining hall C for dinner?" He asked excitedly. Claire stopped thinking about her job and turned to Liam. He was obviously up to something and now she was positive that it involved her.

"Why? We always go to dining hall B. They serve Alex's favorite pudding," she said, trying to provide a reason not to go. Perhaps she could weasel the true reason out of him. Considering his advanced skills of deceit, that could be harder than she thought.

"Alex can go one night without his pudding," Liam replied, brushing off the man's strange pudding cravings.

"I heard that and no… I can't," Alex chimed in from his spot across the room. He was in process of stitching up the patient's hand, who appeared to be from engineering.

"You can have my pudding tomorrow night then," Liam snapped back quickly, annoyed at Alex's comment. He was just being difficult.

"I can live with that," Alex replied, cutting the final stitch and allowing the patient to leave. Alex stood up and crossed the room to where Claire and Liam were standing. Just as Alex approached them, Liam's face lit up and his sly grin returned.

"I'll take you back to my place and you can lick all the pudding off my-"

"You three, get to work!" They jumped as McCoy's loud and booming voice interrupted Liam's comment, much to Claire and Alex's pleasure.

* * *

Ryan glanced around the security department and glanced at his date pad. He had already met a good amount of the previous security members, and had introduced himself to a few new members, but there was one or two he hadn't met yet. He walked up to a couple new ensigns, who were brushing up on a few security details, and offered a small smile. Even as a lieutenant he was nervous. He always had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he might screw up at anytime, so he could only imagine what was going through the new recruits.

"Hey, I'm lieutenant Conaway, are you guys the new recruits?" he asked. They nodded.

"Yeah, we graduated early, so… we've never been on a starship," one guy said.

"It's a little intimidating, but you'll get used to it. Just don't screw up… guys down here tend to pick fights," Ryan said. The guys exchanged looks, causing Ryan to chuckle. He had a feeling he's be breaking up a lot of fights in this job. "I didn't get your names," he said.

"I'm Lewis Rogers… sir," one said. Ryan nodded and looked to the next guy.

"Benjamin Conner," he replied.

"Nice to meet you both," Ryan said. He glanced to the next guy, and something in his gut seemed to stir. The man stood about an inch or two shorter than him, and his dark brown hair seemed to not want to stay in place. His build was the average build of every security officer, but he seemed to slouch too much for anyone to notice. His green eyes seemed like they had the potential to pop, but they were dull in comparison to most of the other eyes in the crew.

"David, sir…" he said. His voice seemed to be a bit rough, as if he had a cold, but there was no indication as such.

"You have a last name, Ensign?" Ryan asked, his guard immediately up.

"David Sheppard…" he answered. Ryan nodded and shook his hand.

"Welcome aboard, if you need anything let me know," Ryan said. They nodded and he turned around and walked to his office. When he got there, he received a message and read it immediately. Upon being done he smiled widely and laughed before running a hand through his short blonde hair.

"She is going to kill them," he muttered before going back to work.

* * *

"Alex, I don't know why it's so important to eat in dining hall C. What are you up to?" she asked. Alex shrugged as they continued to wait for the lift to stop.

"Why would you think I'm up to something?" he asked. She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Because you made me go back to my room and get changed out of my uniform. And you're not dressed in yours either. Something is up," she said. Alex shrugged and stuffed his hands in his jean pockets.

"Don't worry about it, it's not anything bad," he told her. She sighed and dug her own hands in her dark grey hoodie. She would've stuffed them in her jeans, but they were too tight for her to fit her hands in.

"Maybe I shouldn't have let you pick out my jeans, I'm sure my ass looks way too big," she muttered.

"Not that I'm complaining. You should've worn that one shirt that showed your back," Alex said. The doors opened and she zipped up her hoodie a bit more.

"Yeah, I'm glad I picked the tank top. The last thing I need is for you to drool all the way to the dining hall," she said. Alex shrugged.

"I wouldn't have been complaining." Claire rolled her eyes as they continued on their way to Dining Hall C. Claire glanced around the hallways and noticed a lot less people were roaming the halls than normal around dinner time.

"Alex?" Claire asked, but he said nothing. "Alex?"

"Stop talking, we're almost there," he mumbled. Claire stopped.

"Did you just tell me to shut up?" She snapped. He stopped as well.

"Not directly, but yes. No fights tonight, just come on." he instructed her and continued on his way to the dining hall. Claire growled as she tried to catch up with him. Finally, they reached the large blue double doors to dining hall C. Alex pulled back one of the doors and motioned for her to enter. "Ladies first."

"Then why don't you go in first?" Claire asked with a nasty smile, trying to get back at him for earlier. Alex gave her a soft glare, put his hand on the small of her back, and thrust her into the room. The room was completely covered in darkness and Claire couldn't even see her hand in front of her face.

"Stubborn girls…" he muttered. Claire was about to say something when the lights were switched on.

"SURPRISE!" Claire blinked as the bright lights hurt her eyes, but opened them again to find all of her friends starring at her from around the room. Ryan stood next to Colleen, his arm around her waist and a knowing grin on his face. Rupert was holding Oliver by the collar as he tried to run for the cake.

"I WANT CAKE!" He cried, but Rupert had no problem holding the small Irish man back. Liam was next to Spock and Uhura, forcing a party hat onto the clearly displeased man. Uhura's hand was over her mouth, stifling back a laugh. Kirk and McCoy stood close to Ryan, though McCoy looked as if he was scanning the room for an exit. Clearly, he didn't want to be there. But Kirk had a mysterious twinkle in his bright blue eyes. For a moment, Claire was captivated by his presence, but only for a moment. Rocky came running up to her and jumped on his master, happy for her arrival.

"Happy Birthday!" Liam said, walking up and pulling her into a hug. She pulled away and looked around, her face growing red. Whether it was from embarrassment or annoyance. She glared at Liam and her lips pressed together.

"You!" she hissed. Before she could say anything else, Ryan walked up to her.

"Come on Claire, just go with it," he told her. She paused before forcing a small smile on her face.

"Thanks guys, it's… nice," she said. All of a sudden there was the sound of crashing and everyone looked over to see Oliver diving face first into the cake. Ryan looked over to Rupert, who was holding into his hand and muttering curses under his breath.

"Bloody bugger bit me hand," he replied. Liam looked like he was about to cry until Claire broke out into a fit of laughter, causing everyone else to give her a funny look.

"I'm sorry, I just… oh my god. I've never seen a grown man dive head first into a birthday cake!" she had to lean on her brother she was laughing so hard. The rest of the group began to chuckle, with the exception of Spock.

"Alright, let's get this party started! Drinks, music, food, let's go!" Liam said. Claire let Liam drag her over to the bar where he poured her a drink.

"Thanks, Liam… even though I really hate my birthday," she said. He shrugged and took a shot.

"Oh man, that' strong. No worries, Claire-bear… anything for you," she rolled her eyes and took a sip of her own drink. She glanced over and saw some of the senior officers talking near the food table.

"Why did you invite Spock and all them, I never even talk to them?" she asked.

"I didn't… I asked Kirk if I could throw a party and he brought them along. Go figure." Claire rolled her eyes and they joined the small group where her brother and the rest of her group was standing.

"Dude, you so need a girlfriend," Alex muttered to Rupert. Rupert rolled his eyes.

"I don't need anything, except maybe another drink," Rupert muttered. Ryan laughed and let Colleen lean against him.

"You can't even talk, you haven't had a girlfriend since Claire dumped your ass," Colleen said. Ryan glanced at Claire, who simply rolled her eyes and took another sip of her drink.

"It was a mutual break-up," Alex muttered. Claire chuckled and looked over to the senior officers, only to find Kirk's intense gaze staring straight at her. She quickly looked away and smiled at her group of friends.

"I'll be right back," she said.

"Don't go too far," Ryan told her. She shot a look his way and walked toward the small group of senior officers, and had to hold back a laugh at Spock's party hat.

"Sorry you all had to be dragged into this," Claire said when she walked up to them.

"I hope you know you are getting two weeks of graveyard shifts for this," McCoy snapped. Claire sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, I figured sir," she replied.

"Come on, Bones. It's her birthday!" Kirk said. Claire glanced at him before looking back at McCoy, who was now glaring at the younger captain.

"Don't tell me how to run my sickbay! You don't see me telling you how to run your ship!" Jim rolled his eyes.

"So, how old are you?" Uhura asked, trying to deflect the two men from arguing.

"Twenty-three… not really an age to celebrate," she said.

"Twenty-three? Did you join Starfleet right after high school?" Uhura asked. Claire nodded and ran a hand through her hair nervously.

"Uh, yeah…" she muttered.

"Wow…" Uhura mumbled. The five of them stood in silence before Spock spoke.

"I believe it is an earth tradition to wish one happy birthday, even if you are not quite familiar with the person," Spock said. Claire paused as she looked at the commander, trying to decipher what he had just said.

"That's Spock's way of saying happy birthday," Uhura said.

"Oh, um… thanks. Did you guys need anything?" Claire asked.

"A drink," McCoy muttered, brushing past her and going to the bar. Claire watched him go before turning back and glancing at Jim, whose eyes hadn't left hers. Uhura must have noticed the tension because she quickly turned to Spock and suggested they join the other party guests, leaving Claire and Jim alone.

He hadn't even said a word to her and already she could feel her stomach doing back flips. She nervously ran a hand through her hair, thankful that she had decided to let it down and straighten it. His blue eyes still traced over her, as she crossed her arms and looked down.

"Happy birthday," Jim said finally. Claire looked up, her stormy grey eyes meeting his bright blue. She let a small smile grace her lips.

"Thanks, you didn't have to come though. I seriously doubt you go to every ship member's birthday party," she said. He smirked.

"No, not usually, I thought I'd make an exception though," he said. She turned and little red and resisted the urge to nervously run a hand through her hair.

"Thanks." They stood in silence before Jim took a step toward her, causing her to freeze and look up at him.

"I'm sorry I couldn't wrap my present," he told her. She raised an eyebrow.

"You got me a present?" she asked. He smiled and nodded.

"I did."

"Are you going to tell me what it is?" she asked. He looked thoughtful for a moment before his smile got wider.

"Now if I did that, it wouldn't be a surprise," he said. She scrunched her nose and tired to not let out a heavy sigh.

"I hate surprises." Jim laughed and resisted the urge to lean down and kiss her scrunched nose. Though, he wasn't even sure where that urge came from in the first place.

"Meet me after the party in dining hall A… and don't eat too much," he told her. She raised her eyebrow and tilted her head to the side.

"And if I don't?" she asked. He paused before shrugging.

"It's your choice," he replied. He stared at her for a moment longer before turning around and walking out of the dining hall. Claire watched the door for a moment longer before Liam walked up to her.

"Come on! You have to open your presents!" he said, dragging her to the small pile of presents. She glanced at Ryan, who was watching her carefully. He had seen the exchange between her and the Captain, and he briefly wondered if more had transpired between them in the six months of him being gone than he realized. He didn't like the look that Kirk was constantly giving her, and he even liked less how she simply would play right into his hands.

"Ryan, you alright?" Colleen asked. Ryan looked down and smiled widely at the blonde in his arms.

"Just fine. I'm at a party with a hot chick in my arms, what could be better?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I don't know, maybe this hot blonde meeting you after the party in your room?" she asked. He smirked and gave her a quick kiss.

"That does sound perfect," he told her. He glanced back at Claire, who was glaring daggers at Alex for getting her a large box of condoms and a book on how to have great sex.

"You. Are. Such. A. Pig!" she shouted, throwing the box at him. The group laughed and Ryan rested his head on Colleen's. He really didn't think his life could get much better than this.

"Excuse me, Lieutenant Commander Conaway…." Ryan glanced over to see ensign Sheppard looking at him.

"Yeah… what is it?" he asked.

"I was informed to let you know the security should be on high alert for the next few months," he said. Ryan raised an eyebrow and broke away from Colleen.

"Why is that?" Ryan asked.

"We just got news of a break out, and Starfleet suspects that the _Enterprise_ might be a target on their list, after all… the prisoners did declare vengeance on Starfleet." Ryan ran a hand through his hair and grabbed the data pad from the ensign. He froze and almost dropped the data pad.

"What is it? Who escaped?" Colleen asked.

"The _Berlin _crew…"

* * *

Claire always prided herself for not backing down out of a promise. Yet, as she stood in front of the doors of dining hall A, she was wishing she could turn around and run as far away from the place as possible. She almost didn't come in the first place. When her brother ran out of the room suddenly, she wanted to go after him, but Colleen insisted that he needed to be left alone and that she should just enjoy her party. However, when it did come to a close, she found herself hesitant to go back to her room. Instead she ventured to dining hall A, where she was now standing and trying to make up her mind.

With one final sigh she walked through the door and glanced around. All of the tables and chairs had been pushed aside, except one table that held a small little vase of roses and two plates of food. She took a few steps forward, her sneakers making small thuds on the floor. She felt a bit underdressed, and wished she had gone back and changed. When she saw some movement in the corner, she glanced over and had to force the butterflies away when she saw him coming toward her. He still wore his jeans and a grey shirt that he had at the party, but now had a dress jacket on top of that.

"I'm glad you made it," he said. She nodded and glanced over his outfit once more. Most guys couldn't pull off the look and make it look formal, but he did somehow.

_Just one more thing to add of the list of reasons why Jim Kirk is perfect. _She thought. He walked up to her and smiled down.

"I almost didn't," she confessed. He lifted his hand and brushed away a few strands of her blonde hair away from her face, which caused her to blush madly.

"Well, I'm glad you did. I don't cook for just anyone," he said, holding out his arm to take. She raised an eyebrow but took it, deciding to humor him. He led her to the table and pulled out a chair for her.

"Thank you. Are you from the south too?" she asked. He laughed lightly and shook his head.

"Nope, but we still have manners in Iowa," he told her. She nodded and looked down at her plate, smiling at the meal.

"You cook too?" she asked, glancing at the shrimp fettuccini in front of her.

"A bit… I had to growing up, and it was a way to pass the time. Do you?" he asked. She shrugged and watched as he poured her a glass of wine.

"Some… not anything like this. My skills in the kitchen usually include burgers, fries, and stuff like that. Easy to make stuff," she confessed. He chuckled and poured his own glass.

"The only reason I know how to cook this meal was because it was taught in a home economics class in high school. I remembered it because my teacher said it was a nice romantic meal, and would sway the ladies if you knew how to cook it," he told her. She took a sip of her wine and chuckle.

"That doesn't surprise me." He smiled and gestured for her to eat, which she did. They sat in silence for a moment.

"So, what-"

"Why are you doing this?" Claire asked, cutting him off.

"Not one for small talk…" Jim said.

"No, I love small talk… I just…" she trailed off and ran a hand through her hair. If her mother was here, she would definitely have yelled at her for her horrible manners at the table. "After our conversation before shore leave… this is confusing."

"I know…" he replied. Claire looked up and their eyes meeting for a minute.

"What does this mean?" she asked. He was silent, while he moved the noodles around on his plate. As they sat in silence, Claire was sure her heart beat was audible to everyone on the ship, and she was a bit worried she would throw up what little of her dinner she had. After a minute he reached over and took her hand in his. His hand was calloused compared to her silk smooth skin. It immediately showed the contrast of pasts, not that it really mattered in the moment.

"I'm… not one to really date women. I'm not boyfriend material, and usually I run at the thought of committing to someone." Claire felt her heart drop to her stomach, and she wanted to pull her hand away from him, but his grip was tight.

"Oh," was all she said. He looked up at her, his blue eyes capturing her attention immediately.

"Claire… this… whatever we have going on here… it's different. I thought maybe it was only the chase. After you told me that you weren't going to say yes because it was just about the chase, I was just going to give up. I told myself that since you were never going to say yes, it wasn't worth going after you…" he trailed off and let her process what he was saying. She paused and glanced down at his hand, which was still holding onto hers tightly.

"Then… after Riley escaped, and you were there… something changed. I'm not even sure what it was… I just know that after that kiss… I couldn't think of anything else. Over the shore leave I tried to forget about it… but even when I was trying to chase after someone else, my mind was still on you." She raised an eyebrow.

"You tried to forget about me by sleeping with someone else?" she asked, a small smirk on her face. He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"No… not exactly. That was the plan at first… but… after a while I finally realized that…" he stopped and sighed. "It's not about the chase. At first it was… but now… I don't know what it is, but it's not the chase anymore."

"So…" Claire said after a minute. "What does that make this?" she asked. He smiled and looked down at her hand, his thumb nor tracing circles in her skin.

"Well… I was hoping it would be a first date, if that's okay with you," he asked. She couldn't help the smile coming to her lips as her heart seemed to leap up into her throat. Suddenly, she felt her skin tingle at the contact of his skin against hers.

"I guess it could be a first date… but…" she stopped and waited for his reaction. He looked up expectantly.

"But?" he asked. She sighed and used her free hand to run it through hair. She was sure she had done that more tonight than she had in a month.

"I'm… I'm sort of broken," she said quietly. He raise an eyebrow.

"Broken?" he asked. She nodded.

"If we do… date… things will have to be slow. Like I said before, I've been through too much in the past to make this easy for you." He nodded and gave her hand a small squeeze.

"So… what does that mean exactly?" he asked.

"It means… that… physically, things might be slow," she told him. He couldn't help the smirk that came to his lips.

"You're talking about sex right? You don't want to have sex for a while…" he clarified.

"I just… I don't want sex to be just sex anymore. I want it to mean something. I like you a lot, but sex can't be just sex for me." She stopped to see his reaction, and watched as he nodded and raised her hand to his lips.

"Okay," he said after giving her hand a quick kiss.

"Okay?" she asked. He nodded.

"It's going to be hard, and I'm probably going to regret it. But like I said… it's not about the chase anymore. I'm your boyfriend now, so If it's what you want… I'll just have to suffer through it. Just don't be mad at me if I try and convince you to change your mind…" she laughed and nodded.

"That really doesn't sound much different from now. Except for you being my boyfriend," she reminded him. He chuckled and nodded.

"I guess so," he said, but gave her the most sincere smile that he could muster. For a moment, Claire forgot that there was nice hot food sitting in front of her slowly getting cold. She was too distracted by his perfect smile, his passionate eyes, and by the thought that this was all a dream. If it was, it was going to be hell going back to how things were not more than thirty minutes ago. Claire pushed that thought away and took another bite of her dinner.

"This food is really delicious. I might want to give my compliments to the chef," she said slyly, dabbing lightly at her mouth. Jim just chuckled as he took another forkful of his own meal.

"The chef might be pleased to hear it from such a beautiful lady," he replied back. Claire couldn't help the smile that overcame her face and her heart skipped a beat. She could get used to this.

* * *

Colleen had stayed behind to help Liam and Alex clean up the party while Rupert took Oliver back to his room. The medicated man was slowly crashing from his sugar high and his British friend was always there to lend a hand. After the room had been set back to normal, Colleen rushed off to find her boyfriend.

"Excuse me, is Lieutenant Conaway here?" She asked as she entered the security deck. Almost everyone shook their heads, with the exception of one man.

"I believe he returned to his quarters after news of the _Berlin_ crew's escape," the same man that had entered Claire's birthday party said. A chill went down Colleen's spine, not from the man's words nor his appearance, but by his very presence.

"Thank you very much," she replied, exiting the security deck as fast as she could. The whole security team was full of men and being an attractive woman like she was, it was hard for Colleen to be in a room full of men. Colleen made it to the lift and pressed in the deck where Ryan's quarters resided. She was very worried about her boyfriend. Just as the doors of the lift opened, Colleen's worry increased.

"Colleen, I was just about to come get you," Alex said as his distressed face appeared before her.

"Alex? What's wrong?" Colleen asked as she stepped out of the lift. Alex grabbed her arm and lead her through the twisting hallways until they were outside Ryan's door.

"It's Ryan…" he trailed off as a loud crash echoed through the hallway. Colleen cringed and stared at the door in disbelief.

"What…?"

"I came up to my room and all I heard was smashing and things breaking. It sounds like he's tearing up his room in there," Alex explained. Colleen felt her heart breaking as she imagined the pain that her boyfriend was going through. So many nights she had listened to Ryan tell her about his internal anguish over everything that had happened on the _Berlin_. As it was, it was tearing him apart, but he was just starting to get over it when they announced to him that he was going to be head of security on the _Enterprise_. He could once again be with his friends, his girlfriend, and most importantly, his sister. But now…

"Thank you, Alex. I'll take care of this," she said, placing a hand on his chest and pushing him away gently. Alex nodded and walked in the opposite direction to his own room. Taking a deep breath, Colleen took a step towards Ryan's door and knocked just as the sound of glass shattered broke the silence of the night. Colleen waited for a few moments, but the door didn't open and Ryan never responded. Just as she was about to knock again, another loud crash was heard and Colleen could feel the floor vibrate as if something heavy just hit the ground.

"Computer, emergency situation inside!" Colleen called out. The computer said nothing as it scanned the room. After a second, the doors opened much to Colleen's dismay. That meant the computer scan found something wrong. She took a hesitant step into the room and froze as the scene slowly came into view. The lights were dim, but she could make out broken paintings, books everywhere, a bed overturned, and a bookshelf laying on the ground.

"RYAN!" Colleen shouted as she realized there was a body being crushed by the bookcase. She ran over and was able to push it off after a few minutes of it not budging. When she did she looked over him, frowning when she saw his face a bit bloody and bruised.

"Ryan, can you hear me?" she asked. He didn't respond and she pulled out her communicator. "Sickbay, we have a medical emergency in Ryan Conaway's room, help is needed immediately!" she said.

"I'll be right there," a voice responded. Colleen put her communicator away and her green eyes continued to scan over his face.

"Ryan, come on baby… answer me," she pleaded. There was the sound of a door opening, and Colleen watched as Doctor McCoy made his way over.

"What happened?" he asked, taking in the remains of the room. He left the door open, in case he had to take the man to sickbay.

"I don't know, I was told there was the sound of something crashing and breaking and I came in here to find him under a bookcase." McCoy nodded and pulled a scanner out, checking over his vitals.

"It looks like he has a minor concussion, and some pretty bad cuts and bruises. I don't want to move him until he has woken up," McCoy said. He pulled out his communicator.

"Calling the closest medical officer to Lieutenant Commander Conaway's room, assistance needed immediately," he said. Colleen took in a shaky breath as she looked down at Ryan's bloody knuckles.

"Oh god…" she whispered.

"He'll be alright, a few bumps and bruises, but one he wakes up he should be alright. It looks like her passed out from exhaustion." She nodded.

"I shouldn't have left him alone… I shouldn't have…" there was a silence before they heard someone enter the room.

"Ryan?" McCoy turned around, as did Colleen, just in time to see Claire run into the room. McCoy was also surprised to see Jim right behind her.

"Conaway, you shouldn't be here," McCoy told her. She fell to the floor next to Colleen and looked her brother over.

"What happened?" she asked.

"He lost it… after he found out that the members of the _Berlin_ escaped he just… lost it," Colleen said. Claire began to look him over and reached over to grab a piece of medical equipment, but McCoy stopped her.

"Sir-"

"No, there is a reason family is not allowed to treat each other. You are no exception to the rule. It's best if you don't treat him," he snapped.

"Doctor McCoy-"

"That was not a suggestion, Conaway… if you can't handle it, step outside…" he snapped. She paused before pulling her hand back and standing up. She didn't walk outside, but she did distance herself from her brother. Jim stepped closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder in an effort to comfort her. Colleen felt her chest ache as she looked at Ryan's broken body. It seemed just when things were working out, he was kicked on his ass once again.

"He's waking up…" McCoy said suddenly. Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath as His eyes began to flutter open. His grip on Colleen's hand tightened for a second before letting go, most likely from the pain of squeezing his hand.

"Ryan…" she breathed. He groaned and opened his eyes fully.

"Lieutenant… how many fingers am I holding up?" McCoy asked.

"Three…" he muttered. Claire gave a sigh of relief as she leaned into Jim subconsciously.

"Can you tell me what happened?" McCoy asked. Everyone waited as the tension continued to build, but Ryan didn't say a word. Claire and Colleen watched as Ryan's grey eyes searched the room in confusion and then stopped. A tear slide down his face as he looked up at all the people in the room.

"Get them out…" he demanded in a weak voice. At first no one moved.

"Ryan, please…" Colleen pleaded, but Ryan closed his eyes as salty tears began to break through.

"GET OUT!" He cried, struggling to get up. McCoy put a firm hand on his chest to keep him down.

"You heard the man, get out. Claire, get me Chambers or Peterson," McCoy instructed. Colleen moved to the door, as if in a trance, but Claire didn't budge.

"No, he's my brother!" She said sternly, but McCoy shot her a glare.

"Conaway, I will make your life hell. He is my patient and he's demanding you leave. It's a reasonable demand. Leave and get me another doctor!" He shouted, causing Claire to flinch. She'd never seen McCoy this angry before, but then again, she'd never told him no. Before she could say another word, Jim put his hand on her shoulder.

"Bones knows what he's doing. For now, just leave your brother," he whispered, pulling her against his body. She left her blood run cold at the captain's words and blindly let him navigate her out of the room. She felt numb and cast one last look at the crazed look on her brother's face as she exited the room.

"Ryan, I must know what's going on," McCoy said in a much gentler tone. Ryan stopped struggling and allowed himself to get pushed down.

"Have you ever felt like your world is just crumbling down?" Ryan asked weakly, looking blankly up at the ceiling. McCoy sighed and nodded.

"I do. I lost the woman I loved in a divorce. Trust me, I know how that feels. But you're still young with a bright future, a caring girlfriend, and a determined sister just like yourself. This _Berlin _thing has got you down, I'm sure, but it's not the end of the world and you can't let it consume you otherwise they win," McCoy said soothingly. As he looked down at the man who was slowly losing himself, McCoy couldn't help, but seeing himself. It was a road that he was all too familiar with. After a moment of silence, Ryan cleared his throat.

"T-Thank you, Dr. McCoy," Ryan whispered and close his eyes again. McCoy frowned.

"Don't go to sleep, Ryan. You need to stay awake. You need to stay awake and you need to face this," McCoy told him sternly as the door opened again. Alex walked in.

"Sorry it took so long, Dr. McCoy," Alex said as McCoy glared up at him.

"If this was more serious, the patient could have been dead!" McCoy snapped, showing Ryan the cold side that Claire spoke so frequently of. Alex frowned.

"I'm sorry… I was just-"

"Going to heal this man's wounds then help him into a spare room. His injuries aren't serious enough to send him to sickbay." Alex nodded and rushed to help Ryan out. McCoy ran a hand over his face and glanced at Ryan, who was now sitting up and leaning against the bed.

"A word of advice…" McCoy started. Ryan glanced up at him.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Next time you're stressed out, use a punching bag. It's good for stress, helps with your physical health, and sure beats the hell out of fixing your room every time you lose it." Ryan chuckled despite his horrible mood and nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind," he said. McCoy nodded and looked to Alex.

"Chambers…" Alex looked up, a bit of fear present in his eyes.

"Yes sir?" he asked.

"When you're done, report to sickbay. You can join Doctor Conaway on the graveyard shift for the next two weeks," he said, walking out of the room. The doors barely closed before McCoy's voice shouted out. "CONAWAY!"

"Shit, she's going to get it," Alex muttered. Ryan sighed and ran a good hand through his hair.

"Never boring on this ship… huh?" he asked.

"Dude… you have no idea."

_

* * *

_

And now, to the reviews!

_**SWfangirl21:  
**__**Raxsah: **__Yes, Liam and Oliver seem to be the comic relief's of the story. Weird enough, I think I kinda agree with Alex on that fight, even though he almost got her killed. I would want to know the truth, but that's just me. We shall keep the chapters going, until we're done. Lol.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, I agree with Alex too, but to each his own, I suppose. Liam was just supposed to be the gay guy and Oliver didn't start out crazy. We just made him that way. Lol_

_**impalame:  
**__**Jeck: **__I'm pretty sure that comment made Raxsah's day. We tried really hard to not make her Mary-sue or anything like that. I'm glad you like our story.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, that did make my day. I have that problem where I will write a character and it ends up being a Mary-sue. So it's nice to finally have a not-sue character. Thank you!_

_**Sophia Gray:  
**__**Raxsah: **__Thank you, we love your review!  
__**Jeck: **__This is us, updating. I hope it's soon enough for you._

_**Parallel Days:  
**__**Jeck: **__Thanks for another awesome review. I doubt it's the best story ever. There's a lot of stories out there. Lol I'm glad you think that our portrayal of McCoy was pretty good. Stupid flamers. Why I oughta…  
__**Raxsah: **__The best story may be much, but the top ten definitely. The Kirk and Claire part was a long time coming, lol. I fangirled while writing that part. I'm glad you like McCoy, even though he might be OOC, I'm glad you don't think so. Thankies!_

_**Sprngrmln:  
**__**Raxsah: **__Thank you! I'm glad you like the story, and the characters.  
__**Jeck: **__We're just that awesome. Lol Keep reading cause it gets better._

_**Jeck: **__So yeah, that's pretty much it for us. We'll be updating a little more regularly now. I work, but we'll work around my schedule. Our major goal is to finish the story first.  
__**Raxsah: **__And getting my license… anyone wanna teach me how to parallel park? Lol. Don't worry, I don't work (Sadly) So I'll most likely be looking after the story.  
__**Jeck: **__We"ll you get a nice awesome used car. Time to start getting ready for life after college. And now, we'll wrap this chapter up.  
__**Raxsah:**__Later!_


	11. Wasteland

_**(Hey, Sorry for the confusion, it wasn't uploading right. Some people got the chapter, others didn't. It was weird. Sorry, continue)**_

_**Raxsah: **__Oh wow, a chapter so soon? Are we on drugs?__  
__**Jeck: **__Drugs? Mmmmm I likes some of that. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__Well, obviously you are not sharing. Lol. We obviously do not support drugs, since there are none of them in our stories… just mass amounts of alcohol.  
__**Jeck: **__Your stories. Some of my stories have drugs. As well as hot girl on girl action. Which is the only thing we've left out of our story so far. As well as bestiality, necrophilia, pedophilia, and other shit that was in Twilight.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, we left a few things out but that's okay. Maybe we should tell them about our little contest? Because we are bored and have nothing better to do.  
__**Jeck: **__It was your idea, so I believe you have the honors of announcing it.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yay! We will write a small side story for the 50th__ reviewer. We will announce the reviewer and write a side story of their choosing. They can pick the focus of any characters in Star Trek and from this story, any character, and the general idea of what they what written. We will do it, no matter how crazy… except for any of the category's listed above. Well, I'll be flexible with writing the girl on girl, but that's just because I haven't written it at all… ANYWAY…  
__**Jeck: **__Raxsah might do girl on girl. That's so what she accidentally wrote. It was awesome. But yes, we'll write pretty much anything. We're actually taking bets on who it'll be. (My money's on Parallel Days)  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, or SWfangirl21. But we will only have to see. Just keep it in mind dear readers.  
__**Jeck: **__:3 That is all I have to say.  
__**Raxsah: **__On with the story!_

* * *

**Chapter 11; Wasteland**

* * *

Perpetual darkness seemed to be the only place where anyone could think clearly on this ship. At least, that's what Ryan thought. He laid back on the bed in a spare room as he let his mind try and sort itself out. He wasn't allowed to sleep, and the pain in his knuckles was making sure he wouldn't fall asleep anyway. So he was left alone to think. Think about how he was going to deal with this, and why it was bothering him so much.

He couldn't deny that he grew up a fairly sheltered life. Sure he was forced to pretty much learn how to take care of himself and Claire after he scared off their nanny at the age of thirteen. However, never did they go without something. If they needed something, anything at all, it was available. It made them a bit spoiled, but a month at Starfleet soon changed that.

When he entered Starfleet, he was pretty much a lost puppy. Sure, he had Claire, but most of the time, if they weren't studying, hanging out, or working, he was usually getting her out of trouble. And she was just as lost as him. So he was stuck trying to make it through Starfleet in the engineering field by himself.

Then he met Griffin. Griffin was a junior engineer, and he took Ryan under his wing. Ryan looked up to the man as if he was the god of engineering, and Griffin just simply helped the man out in whatever way he could. Eventually they became pretty close friends, and Ryan found himself being more comfortable in Starfleet.

When he was on the _Berlin_ everything seemed to be turning in his favor. He had made a ton of friends, he was doing well as an engineer, and he had his best friend backing him up. He still felt a little lonely, but he was much too busy to really care all that much. His life was working out for him, and he was enjoying every minute of it.

Then the Aenar ship came into play. Everything changed.

He knew it was wrong, he knew it the moment it was suggested. He had the chance to stop it, to jam the torpedo bay, or just say no, and he didn't take it. He stood back and let them fire on the ship, causing hundreds to die. He felt as if he was personally responsible. He could have tried to convince Griffin what he was doing was wrong, but he didn't. Instead, he let Griffin talk him into keeping quiet and let it almost happen for a second time.

It was horrible, but he wasn't sure that was what made it so unbearable. He could deal with the fact that he was weak, that he could've done something and didn't. He really could live with that.

He couldn't deal with Griffin, or Captain Shay for that matter. He couldn't deal that the man he had looked up to simply shot him pointblank, no second thoughts. Griffin had totally disregarded their friendship and didn't look back. He had never known betrayal like that. He had old high school friends stab him in the back, girlfriends be unfaithful. Yet, never had a friend try to kill him, try to shoot him. It was just something that didn't sit right with him.

His thoughts drifted back to his confrontation with Shay. He knew the captain was not in his right mind. Yet he wasn't prepared for the shot the Captain took, nor was he ready for the sudden feeling he had upon laying on the floor.

It was safe to say that he had never been shot. He had been shot on stun, but that was completely different from actually getting shot.

The pain in his chest was nothing compared to the thoughts going through his head. He thought he was going to die, and there was no way he would've been ready. He was afraid that he would never see his sister again, that he would never get the chance for love. He wanted o get married, he wanted to have kids. He didn't want to die, and more than anything, he didn't want to die alone.

No, the _Berlin_ was not something he wanted to deal with. The fact that the crew had just escaped was not helping. It was only bringing up memories he wanted to forget, and stressing him out. Ryan didn't deal with stress well. He bottled it up and exploded, which often resulted in him breaking something. Now, in light of recent activity, he needed to get over this fear of the _Berlin, _and he needed to get over it now. He only hoped it would be as easy as it sounded in his head.

* * *

"Are you as tired as I am?" Alex asked, leaning against Claire. Both of them were sitting on what they now deemed as 'their chill medical bed' and were about to fall asleep.

"Dude… two days of endless shifts, and the only sleep time is during meals… I'm about to pass out," Claire replied. He nodded and draped an arm over her shoulder.

"A nap would be alright… right?" he asked. She nodded and then shot up.

"No, it won't be. We nap and he finds us. He finds us and it's another day of endless shifts. I can't do another day of endless shifts. I need sleep," Claire said. Alex took a deep breath and ran a hand over his face in order to wake himself up. Claire buried her face in her hands and tried to get her mind to focus. She knew why McCoy was keeping her so busy. If she had a chance to take a real break, she would go and find Ryan, and according to McCoy, he needed his space. She figured the reason Alex was working with her was because he was being punished for something he did.

"Tell me something…" Alex said.

"Like what?" she asked.

"I don't know… something mind blowing," he said. She paused before turning to face him.

"I think I'm dating Kirk…" she said. He paused before turning to her, his eyebrows almost hiding in his hairline.

"You… what? You think you're dating Kirk? You don't know?" she sighed.

"I'm so tired I'm not even sure what day it is," she muttered.

"February first. I know because you're birthday was two days ago." She nodded and fell back on the bed.

"Hmm… okay… I've been dating Kirk for two days…" he raised an eyebrow.

"How did that happen?" he asked. She paused.

"The man has a way with words," she told him.

"Obviously, if he finally got you to sleep with him," Alex muttered. Claire would've hit him, but she was far too tired to care.

"I'm not sleeping with him. We're dating. That's a huge difference." Alex rolled his eyes. And leaned back on the bed as well.

"If you say so… " Claire nodded and closed her eyes for a moment, as Jim's face appeared in her mind. She felt her heart ache as she realized she hadn't seen the captain since the night Ryan had completely lost himself. He'd walked her back to sickbay and wrap his strong arms around her as Claire tried to comprehend the situation. They stayed like that until McCoy stormed into the room and gave Claire hell for her behavior. Jim tried to defend her, but McCoy ended up banning him from sickbay until Claire finished her two weeks of graveyard shifts. All in all, life sucked right now.

"Wake up, Claire," Alex's voice cut through her thoughts as her eyes shot open. Alex had gotten off the bed and was straightening out his uniform.

"What…?"

"McCoy alert!" He whispered harshly. Without a second thought, Claire jumped to her feet and grabbed the closest piece of medical equipment. She looked up to see McCoy's cold glance as he walked past them and into his office without a word.

"Man, that was close," Claire mumbled as she dropped the hypo-spray in her hands and dropped back onto the bed.

"I have an idea. We'll take turns napping and keeping watch for the crazed doctor," Alex suggested, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Claire nodded as she tried to stifle back a yawn, but failed.

"Can I take the first nap?" She asked as she climbed onto the bed and kicked her boots off. Alex nodded and helped pull the sheet over her exhausted form.

"Yeah, go ahead. I'll keep watch and we'll switch in a couple of hours." Alex looked down and realized that Claire was already asleep as soon as her head had hit the pillow. "Lucky bitch…" he mumbled as he turned around to head back to work.

* * *

"Just two more days of graveyard shifts before we can get a regular night's sleep again!" Alex declared as he dropped his tray on the table. Claire smiled at Alex's statement as she took the seat next to his.

"Thank god…" she muttered. She saw Colleen walk up and sit across from them and offered her a small smile.

"Hey, you guys look like hell," Colleen said. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Thanks, I feel so much better… Ugh…" Claire moved her tray and let her head rest on the table. Colleen raised an eyebrow and looked at Alex, who looked like he was about to pass out as well.

"Did I miss something?" she asked.

"I miss my bed!" Claire said into the table. Liam sat down next to Colleen and shook his head.

"If you two weren't so stupid, you would be in bed," Liam said. Alex sighed and ate a little bit of his salmon. Claire picked her head up and ran her hand through her messy hair. Thankfully she had been able to skip her breakfasts to shower; or else she would be even more miserable than she already was.

"I hate McCoy… with a passion," she said.

"You and the rest of the staff," Liam said. She sighed and began to eat.

"Have you heard from Ryan?" Claire asked. Colleen shook her head.

"No, I know he's reported back to work… but I'm giving him space." Claire nodded and took a few more bite of her dinner before she pushed her tray toward Alex and laid her head back on the table. Rupert walked over and sat down on the other side of Claire and raised an eyebrow.

"She alright?" he asked.

"No, she's probably going to die from sleep deprivation soon," Liam said. Rupert shook his head.

"Damn shame, she should probably sleep," Rupert said.

"I am sleeping!" Claire snapped. Rupert chuckled and began to eat his dinner. Liam paused as he glanced at the door and watched Ryan walk into the dining hall. "Jeez, has Ryan been up with you guys too? He looks like hell," Liam stated. The entire table looked across the room as Ryan walked through the dining hall. His hair wasn't spiked like normal and lay flat on his head while black bags hung low under his eyes. His grey eyes appeared dull and lifeless as he mechanically walked through the food line.

"Why is everyone just sitting there?" Rupert asked as they watched Ryan take a seat across the room and pick away at his food thoughtlessly. Colleen's eyes followed his every moment, the urge to cross the room and embrace him getting stronger by the moment. Claire too was watching her brother, but she merely looked with worry.

"Remember the night of Claire's party?" Liam asked. Rupert nodded as Liam proceeded to explain what happened over the past two weeks.

"Bloody hell… and none of you bothered to try to comfort him?" Everyone turned to Rupert as he glared at them.

"What are you going on about, Rupert?" Alex asked coldly, but Rupert ignored the icy glare.

"You're all stupid Americans, you know that. He's hurting and he's pushing you away, but what he needs now is a friend," Rupert explained. Nobody said a word as he grabbed his dinner tray and crossed the room to Ryan's table.

"He thinks he's all hot stuff because he's got an accent, huh? Well he's not!" Alex rolled his eyes at Liam's comment as he finished off his dinner.

"We finished dinner early; want to go find a nice bed in sickbay to curl up on?" Alex asked as Claire forced her eyes away from her brother.

"I suppose." They rose from the table, leaving Colleen and Liam to watch Rupert comfort the isolated Conaway. Claire shot her brother one last look as his downcast eyes looked into her own. Her tired grey eyes met his sorrowful grey eyes and for a moment, Claire stopped.

"You okay?" Alex asked, pausing as well.

"I'm skipping graveyard duty tonight. I need to talk to my brother," Claire stated as she turned the other way and headed to sickbay.

* * *

"Stop being like this, Ryan. You've got a bunch of worried friends, a concern girlfriend, and a sister who's suffering for trying to be there for you," Rupert snapped as he dropped his tray next to Ryan. Ryan jolted out of his trance as he looked up at Rupert.

"Just go away…" He mumbled.

"No way mate… you've got to face this," he snapped. Ryan sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't know how," Ryan confessed. Rupert gave a heavy sigh as he watched the man in front of him.

"No one does, mate… how the hell are you supposed to deal with something like this. I mean… some people just keep moving on. They accept the fact that it happened and moved on. Some people dwell on it for years before they figure things out. Some people need to talk it out," Rupert told him.

"I don't know what to do, I've tried to just move on… but apparently only Claire got that family gene. I don't want to dwell on it for years…" Ryan trailed off.

"Well… if you really need to talk it out, I guess we can pretend to be chicks and talk it out. Don't you bloody tell anyone though… I'll probably have to kill you with a wrench…" Ryan let out a laugh and nodded.

"Alright… would you like me to call you Rupette?" Ryan asked.

"Only if you let me call you Ryanna…" The two men laughed before Ryan took a deep sigh and said what was on his mind.

* * *

"Can't you cover for me?" Claire asked. Liam sighed and glared down at the petite woman in front of him.

"Maybe Ryan just needs-"

"Liam, please… he's my brother… I need to talk to him," Claire said. Liam paused before nodding.

"Sure. Just know that if McCoy grills me I'm singing like a bird," he told her. She smiled and hugged him.

"Thanks, you're a sweetheart!" she said before taking off. She made it to her brother's spare room in record time, and now found herself frozen in spot. What was she going to do when he opened the door? Would he open the door? How was she going to help him?

She rolled her eyes and pressed the call button on the door and waited. It was a good three minute before she heard someone get up and walk to the door, making her wonder if it was best to even be there. After another minute she moved to leave, but stopped when the door opened and her brother stood in front of her. He must have just gotten out of the shower, because his hair was soaking wet, and it looked like he just thrown some clothes on.

"Claire?" he asked softly. She said nothing before moving forward and hugging his middle, not caring that he was a bit wet. He sighed and hugged her back. "Claire-"

"You can't leave again, you just can't," she told him. He frowned and pulled her closer.

"I'm not leaving the _Enterprise…_" she pulled away and shook her head.

"No, I'm not talking about you physically leaving. I'm talking about you going back into your little shell and just… not being you. It was hell those six months when you weren't here. You would not believe the trouble I got myself into," she said. He smiled and pulled her into the room. Though he just got out of the shower, he could feel the wet spots that were forming on his shirt.

"Claire-" But his sister cut him off.

"No Ryan, you just can't. It was killing me having you here on the ship, but knowing that you were a million miles away in your head. That night… you told us to get out… I never felt so hurt before in my entire life. Not even when mom and dad practically disowned us. I missed gossiping with you all the time and telling you my deepest secrets. I missed cuddling with you when I was sad. I missed you so much, Ry. Please… just don't ever do that again," she said as sobs overtook her body. Ryan pulled his sister closer.

"It's okay, Claire. I'm alright now. I'm here for you and I'm not going anywhere again. Rupert, he helped a bunch. And I'm ready to talk about stuff if you don't mind listening, and vice versa," he whispered soothingly as he patted Claire on her back. After a few minutes, she finally calmed down and cuddled close to his chest.

"I'm all ears," she told him as she looked up into his eyes. He wasn't lost anymore and she recognized the familiar concerned older brother looked in his eyes.

* * *

A few hours later, Claire was jolted awake by a knock on the door. For a moment, she couldn't figure out where she was until a figure stirred next to her. She looked down to find her brother passed out on his bed and the sheet wrapped around them both. The events of the night flooded back through her mind as she remembered falling asleep as both her and Ryan swapped stories from their childhood. Careful not to wake him, Claire got out of bed and crossed the room to his door. The door slid open to reveal Colleen who was wiping her red eyes. It was clear that she'd been crying as she locked eyes with Claire.

"I-Is Ryan in there?" Claire looked back to Ryan, who was still passed out cold and nodded.

"He's sleeping though… you alright?" she asked. Colleen paused before nodding.

"Yeah… it's just… I wanted to know if he was alright," Colleen said. Claire nodded and moved aside.

"Here… there is still a spot open next to him on the bed. You might enjoy it more than I would," she told her. Colleen forced a smile.

"Thanks, but I know you wanted to talk to him…" Claire moved outside and pushed Colleen into the room.

"I'm alright, you need some time with him. I have to get back to sickbay before Doctor McCoy realizes I'm gone," she said. Colleen chuckled.

"Good luck." Claire smiled.

"You too. And if it comes up, use a condom, I'm too young for nieces and nephews," Claire said before walking down the hallway. Colleen rolled her eyes and walked over to the bed, pausing before she laid down next to Ryan and took his hand in hers. He looked so peaceful, it made her heart hurt that he had been going through so much pain. She lifted her hand and let it trace his cheek, enjoying the freshly shaven feel his skin had. The move caused Ryan to stir and he opened his eyes.

"Hey," he muttered, sitting up. She sat up as well and offered him a smile.

"Hey, are you feeling better?" she asked. He nodded and raised his hand to caress her own soft skin.

"I'm sorry," he said, leaning forward and placing a delicate kiss on her forehead. She shook her head and pulled him into a close embrace.

"I'm just glad you're back… I was so worried," she confessed. He pulled away slightly and cupped her face in his hands.

"I'm sorry to have kept you worried," he whispered. She smiled and leaned forward, her lips meeting his in a sweet, yet loving, kiss. He sighed into the kiss and pulled away before kissing her a little deeper. She pulled away and ran her fingers through his short hair.

"Why didn't you talk to me?" she asked softly. He pulled her closer to him, so she was in his lap, and he rested his head on her shoulder.

"I didn't want to talk to anyone, and I didn't want to burden you," he confessed. She frowned.

"I care about you Ryan. That means that there is nothing you can say to me that would burden me. I want to know what's going on with you, and I want you to know what's going on with me. I love you…" He paused, his grey eyes meeting her brilliant green before pulling her into deep kiss. He moved so she was lying on her back, and he was hovering over her.

"I love you too," he replied as he leaned down poured as much passion as he could into their kiss. One of his hands combed through her soft hair as their noses brushed. Colleen moaned into the kiss as Ryan pulled away.

"Not in the mood?" She whispered as he gave her a small grin.

"I'm always in the mood when you're around, but I've got a long day ahead of me tomorrow and I'm sure you do too," he reasoned and Colleen just smiled as she curled back up next to him.

"Fine, I'm okay with that as long as I can stay for the night." Ryan nodded and pulled her close.

* * *

"Everything go alright with your brother?" Alex asked as Claire entered sickbay. She looked over to where he was sitting to find him searching through his hand of cards. Liam sat across from him at a small table, fishing through his own cards.

"Yeah, everything is fine. I'm just glad that he's okay again," Claire said as she pulled up a chair next to the men playing cards.

"You get some sleep?" Liam asked. She nodded and watched as Liam put down three of a kind and rolled her eyes.

"You guy are playing go fish?" she asked. Alex shot her a look.

"What would you want to play?" he snapped.

"Poker dude." Liam rolled his eyes.

"We don't have anything to bet on," he pointed out.

"Bet work hours… or don't bet, just play," She said, grabbing the cards and shuffling them.

"How about we play strip poker. I'd like to at least be able to give Kirk advice on your rack before he sees it," Alex suggested. Claire smacked him and ignored the look Liam was giving her.

"Ass," she muttered.

"You and Kirk? What the hell? When did this happen?" Liam asked.

"You win this game of Poker and I promise I'll tell you what happened," she said.

"But… I'm your gay boyfriend…" Claire chuckled and dealt the cards.

"I know, and I'll eventually tell you, but if you want to know immediately you need to win this game," she told him. Liam sighed and looked at his cards, his face fell.

"You've got nothing," Alex said. Liam looked up and furrowed his eyebrows.

"How did you…"

"You don't have a poker face, you need a good poker face," Alex said. Claire chuckled and watched as Liam threw down his cards.

"I'm going to bed, because I am not being punished," He snapped before turning around and walking out of sickbay. Claire and Alex frowned but continued to play their game before someone walked into sickbay.

"I've got it, I have a bit more sleep in me than you," she said. Alex rolled his eyes and began to play a game of solitaire. Claire walked up to the man and forced a smile on her face. "Can I help you ensign?" she asked.

"Yeah… I think I messed up my knuckles," he muttered. She led him to a bed looked up at him.

"Name?" she asked.

"Ensign David Sheppard, Ma'am…" she nodded and grabbed his chart.

"Okay, let's see. I'll have you out of here in a few minutes," she told him as she grabbed a hypo-spray canister and injected him with antibiotics that would speed up his ability to heal for the next sixty seconds. He winced as Claire pulled away and grabbed a cloth to wipe the blood away.

"Thank you," he told her as she looked up into his face.

"You're welcome. Hey, you're the ensign who told my brother about the Berlin at my birthday party, right?" She asked as the memory became fresh in her head. Part of her hated him a little bit for bringing the news that drove her brother crazy, but she knew that it wasn't it his fault. The man nodded.

"I am and I am deeply sorry for the effect it had on your brother. I was not aware of the impact it would have on it, it was merely part of my job to inform him of the situation seeing as he is head of security," David explained as Claire nodded.

"I understand. Don't worry about it. Crap, I'll be right back, We're out of gauze." Claire rose from her seat across from David and left for the supplies closest. Alex glanced over at David who appeared to be scanning sickbay as if his life depended on it.

"You okay there, kid?" Alex asked. David nodded.

"Yeah, I just haven't been in sickbay here before. It's a lot different than it is back at the academy," David admitted. Alex grunted in response before turning back to his cards just as Claire returned into the room.

"Alright David, let's get you out of here," she said happily as he began wrapping up his hand just as a precaution. She hummed as she worked, something she had begun doing as the lack of sleeping began settling in.

"You alright, doctor?" he asked. She looked up and nodded.

"Of course, I'm a bit tired is all," she replied.

"I feel so much better now," he muttered. She laughed lightly and finished up his hand.

"I assure you that I'm alright to help your hand out. It's not surgery or anything," she told him.

"You're a surgeon?" he asked. She nodded and began to clean up.

"Yes I am," she answered.

"How long?" he asked. She finished placing her supplies in its proper place and looked up at Alex, who also seemed a little perturbed by the man's questioning.

"Officially, about two weeks. I've been studying under doctor McCoy for a few months though," she explained.

"Sorry, Ma'am, but you seem like quite an interesting doctor," he said. She nodded and wrote a few things in his chart.

"You're free to go, make sure that you stay out of the fists fights, ensign…" she told him.

"I'll try ma'am, but you know security," he said. She nodded and watched as he left sickbay, his eyes scanning everything he could. She walked over and sat down across from Alex, her eyebrows still scrunched in confusion.

"That guy was…" she trailed off.

"Weird," Alex finished. She nodded and picked up her cards.

"Yeah… So, what are we playing for?" she asked.

"How about this, you win and I'll let you sleep for the next few hours while covering you, and if I win, you have to take your top off," he said. She picked a few cards from the deck and looked up at him.

"You know I'm wearing a dress. If I take my top off, I take my bottom off too," she told him. He simply smirked widely.

"I know, three of a kind… what do you have?" he asked. She smiled before putting her own cards down.

"Full house… wake me around five," she said. He sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"Damn…"

* * *

"What do you mean the food generator is broken?" Kirk asked.

"Sorry Sir, we're working on it now as we speak," the engineer said. Kirk sighed and looked back at the few members of his crew.

"Sorry guys…" he muttered.

"What do we do, Jim?" Spock asked as he stood next to the captain. Kirk ran a hand through his hair, deep in thought.

"How long is the food generator going to be out?" He asked after a moment.

"Umm… anywhere from a few hours to a few days," one of the engineers told him. Kirk froze.

"A few days?" The engineer nodded.

"Yeah, we're going to be as working as fast as we can, but we need to be careful with this. One small mistake and every piece of food it makes could be poisonous," he explained. Kirk messaged his temples as he realized how dire the situation was.

"Alright, keep working. Spock, come with me. We're about to deal with a very hungry crew," Kirk instructed as he left for the bridge.

"Of course, Captain!" The engineers called after Kirk and Spock's retreating forms.

"Any ideas?" Spock asked as they entered the lift. Kirk looked up at his Vulcan best friend.

"No idea," he said bluntly and leaned into the wall with a distressed look on his face. His crew was about to face a famine. In space. "Shit…"

_

* * *

_

And thus we review.

_**SWfangirl21  
**__**Raxsah: **__Ah yes, Liam is adorable. We've been trying to zap him out of the computer for a couple of months, but we haven't been able to quite get it. We'll let you know when we get it to work. Yeah, poor Ryan. He bitches too much though. He just whines and whines… ugh… what does that say about us if we're writing him?  
__**Jeck: **__That would be pretty interesting, Liam and Alex. Hehe. Ryan pisses me off too, but the power of the fictional characters is strong. It commands us to write him like a whiny little bitch._

_**Yayyou  
**__**Jeck: **__Yes.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah… not much to say to that one. Sorry there isn't much of them in this chapter. I promise there will be more in the next chapter… much more._

_**Parallel Days  
**__**Raxsah: **__Yes, the dinner scene was so much fun to write. Especially since I just made it up off the top of my head during algebra one day. I honestly don't know how the characters get so realistic… they just start to write themselves. I think we based a couple of them off of friends or characters. Calm before the storm… I guess it was… and so is this… just wait till next chapter.  
__**Jeck: **__You are my favorite reviewer, but shhhhh don't tell the others. I think they'll get jealous of the special bond we have. :3_

_**Jeck: **__Well, pie. Pie? Yes pie. It's delicious and easy on the eyes. Like this chapter. The next chapter is massively sexy. Like me. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__And massively creepy too. But I can't lie, it was fun to write. Remember our little contest, reviewer number 50 will get their own story… because we're almost done and have nothing better to do.  
__**Jeck: **__Yes.  
__**Raxsah: **__…  
__**Jeck: **__Penis. Cause it starts with a pie. Like p. And I just like typing with your P key.  
__**Raxsah: **__Ugh, let's not bring up the P key. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Later!  
__**Jeck: **__*gropes*  
__**Raxsah: **__Le sigh._


	12. Take It Off

_**Jeck: **__Falalalalalalalala. Welcome to the insanity.  
__**Raxsah: **__This, ladies and gentleman, is what happens when you have a butt load of sugar in you and you sit around and just think of the most ridiculous things ever.  
__**Jeck: **__Or, if you share my brain. Cause this fucked up shit is the product of my mind on a normal day. And Raxsah's craziness.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, I will finally admit, that this is my favorite chapter. Even with all the craziness and parts that make me shake my head… this is my favorite.  
__**Jeck: **__Even if you can't read the whole thing all the way through…  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, we have many warning for this chapter. Some intense sexual situations, and… other stuff. No lemons though…  
__**Jeck: **__Not quite. Anyway, enjoy._

**

* * *

**

Chapter 12; Take It Off

* * *

"Computer, can I get a cup of coffee?" Claire asked as she clocked out on her break. She needed a strong pick-me-up to get through the rest of her shift. The computer beeped then froze, causing her eyes to go wide.

"Oh no, you cannot do this to me!" she hissed at it.

"The generators are broken, engineers are working to fix it," Alex said, taking a sip from his coffee. Claire paused before grabbing it and taking a huge gulp. "Hey!"

"Oh my God, thank you God for coffee," she muttered. Alex grabbed it back and glared at her.

"Get your own damn coffee," he snapped. Claire rolled her eyes and walked to the medical station, where a few of her charts were.

"I tired, the computer is busted," she muttered. Before Alex had a chance to answer, the doors opened and Rupert walked in, a big red box in hand.

"Dude… what the hell is that?" Alex asked. Rupert shrugged.

"I got this big box of chocolate, and I can't eat chocolate. I wanted to know if you guys wanted some…" he said. Claire grabbed the big box and opened it.

"What type of chocolate is this? It's blue…" she muttered.

"I believe its Betazoid chocolate. It's very good though, so I've heard…" Rupert said.

"Who would give you chocolate?" Alex asked. Rupert shrugged.

"No clue… I'm not even dating anyone." Claire raised an eyebrow.

"Well… why are you getting it now?" she asked.

"I think it's for Valentine's Day…" Alex said. Claire paled and frowned.

"Oh…" she whispered.

"Oh? That's it. I thought girls love Valentine's Day…" Alex said.

"Not all women, usually it's just singles awareness for me," Claire replied, looking over her charts.

"But… you're not single anymore…" Liam said, walking over to them.

"Right… Well, Jim hasn't even said anything about it, so I'm not worrying about it," she said.

"Liar, you want him to take you on a nice romantic date, and whisk you off to his bed," Liam said.

"Whisk who off?" Ryan asked, walking up to the group.

"Hey Ry… you alright?" Claire asked.

"Fine, I would be eating lunch, but the generators are out, so I figured I'd stop by and say hi. Now… who is whisking off whom to bed?" Ryan asked.

"Claire's sad that Kirk hasn't asked her on a mind blowing date for Valentine's Day," Alex said.

"Why would you care if he did?" Ryan asked.

"Dude… they're going out. Where have you been?" Liam asked. Ryan turned pale and turned to Claire.

"What?" he asked. Claire went to respond, but McCoy cut in.

"Doctor Conaway, you are needed in engineering, someone apparently passed out from lack of food," he said. Claire nodded and grabbed her kit, and a piece of chocolate, and ran out the door.

"By guys!" she called.

"Claire!" Ryan called, but didn't bother going after her. He knew where he quarters were, if he really needed her he would find her there.

"Dude… that chocolate is blue…" Liam muttered, hesitantly poking at it. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Its Betazoid chocolate," he stated, reaching out to take a few pieces. Alex followed his lead and shoved a bunch into his own mouth. Liam smiled a picked up a chocolate of his own.

"You know, Alex, I wouldn't mind feeding you chocolates…" Liam offered, but Alex shook his head, his cheeks bulging from the mass amounts of chocolate in his mouth. Liam shrugged and popped a few chocolates into his own mouth.

"Man, you're missing out, Rupert. These are damn good!" Alex declared after swallowing all the chocolate in his mouth. Ryan just chuckled.

"Looks like a party in here!" Everyone turned to the doorway as Captain Kirk entered with Spock following behind him.

"Afternoon, Captain," Rupert greeted as he headed towards the door. Kirk nodded as he approached the open container of chocolates.

"You guys mind if Spock and I had a few?" Kirk asked. The rest of the guys shrugged and nodded, not seeing any harm in it.

"Are these Betazoid chocolates?" Spock asked as he tasted the blue chocolates. Ryan nodded and Kirk moaned.

"Man, this chocolate is damn good!" He declared, reaching for another.

"Yeah, I've never had it, but it's freaking delicious," Liam said.

"Betazoid chocolate is made for specific genders, it appears this appeals to the male gender," Spock said, sneaking another one in his mouth.

"Bones, you have to try some of this chocolate," Jim said. McCoy glanced at it and them and shook his head.

"No thanks," he said.

"Aw, why not?" Jim asked.

"I hate Betazoid chocolate…" he replied.

"Have you ever had it?" Ryan asked. McCoy nodded and picked up a patient chart.

"Yes. The ex-wife bought some for Valentine's Day," McCoy said.

"Oh, how come you don't like it?" Liam asked.

"Made me act funny, and the effects usually last for twenty-four hours, it's a pain in the ass." Jim shrugged and ate another.

"I like them, they are freaking awesome dude," Alex said.

"So… is it just me, or is there a serious lack of women in sickbay…" Jim said.

"Most of the women are nurses, and they are all off to help some crewmen who are suffering from slight famine…" McCoy said.

"Because of the generators?" Ryan asked. McCoy nodded.

"Yes, but engineering said that they would be able to fix it within the next hour," he said.

"Well, that's good," Jim said.

"You know… Valentine's day is coming up," Liam said, his gaze directed at Kirk.

"Yeah, or singles awareness if you're not with someone…" Alex muttered.

"I got a date planned out with Colleen, she seems pretty excited," Ryan said, grabbing another piece of chocolate.

"Nyota has also requested a dinner on that night, I believe she says it is romantic," Spock said.

"What about you, captain? You have anything planned?" Liam asked, not bothering to beat around the bush.

"Uh…" Jim paused and looked at Ryan, who was suddenly giving him a pretty nasty look.

"Well?" Ryan asked. Jim cleared his throat and rubbed the back his head.

"I have… something, it's not anything special. It's only a second date after all…" Ryan crossed his arms.

"Might I ask, with whom, captain?" Jim paused and stuffed a piece of chocolate in his mouth, how was he going to explain this.

* * *

Claire sighed as she helped the man off the floor. This whole generator breaking down was really causing her a bit of grief. She came down to engineering only to find that half the staff was passed out.

"Jesus, do any of you guys find time to eat?" Claire asked, checking the last guy on the list.

"I think the problem is they eat too much, they aren't used to not going without food this long," Colleen said. Claire sighed and nodded her head, signaling that he could go back to work.

"I hope they fix the generator soon, this is driving me crazy. Though, it did get me out of explaining the whole Kirk situation to Ryan," Claire mumbled.

"You know… you're going to have to tell him eventually," Colleen said. Claire rolled her eyes and picked up her medical kit.

"Well… when do you think I should tell him?" Claire asked.

"Preferably before you are pregnant…" Colleen said. Claire scoffed and began to walk toward the door, Colleen trailing behind her.

"Are you kidding? I bet you get knocked up before I do," Claire said. Colleen chuckled and walked with her to the lift.

"In all seriousness, you should tell Ryan," Claire sighed and nodded.

"I'll get around to it; I'll talk to you later." Colleen nodded and turned back to engineering. Claire sighed and waited as the lift took her to sickbay. To be honest, she was a little more worried that by the end of the weekend, she wouldn't have anything to tell Ryan. She and Jim had hardly talked since she had been 'grounded' by McCoy; she only hoped that things would get better. She ran a hand through her hair as the lift opened and she walked down the hall to sickbay. From outside the door she heard the sound of laughter, and a bit of a heated argument, but ignored it as she walked in and up to the medical station. She also ignored the fact that it suddenly became dead silent and grabbed a piece of chocolate.

"This really is good chocolate," she said to Liam, who nodded.

"I know right!" But as Claire glanced around the room, the warm and comforting feeling that the chocolate gave her slowly faded away.

"Hey guys, what's up?" She asked slowly as she noticed the hungry looks that the men were giving her, except for Liam. Even her own brother was looking at her as if she was a piece of meat.

"Claire…" Alex mumbled as he took a step forward. Claire turned to look at him just as he lunged forward and their lips crashed together. Claire stumbled backwards at the unexpected weight and fell to the ground with a thud. Alex's lips moved hungrily against hers and Claire used all her strength to shove him to the side.

"Get the hell off of me!" She cried as Liam rushed to her side and pulled Alex away.

"Jeez, I wish I were you right about now!" Liam stated as Alex struggled to get free from Liam's grasp. Ryan walked up to his sister and held out his hand to help her up.

"Let me help you up, Claire-bear," Ryan offered. Claire took her brother's hand, who hoisted her to her feet. Claire was about to thank him, but he inched his hand around to the small of her back and pulled her close enough for him to leaned down as press his lips against her own. Claire resisted the urge to vomit as Ryan tried to pry open her lips with his tongue. Liam was just as shocked as Claire as Alex broke free of his grip and charged at Ryan. Claire was knocked to the side, much to Ryan's dismay, as Alex unleashed a beating.

"I SAW HER FIRST!" Alex called out, bringing his fist down upon Ryan's face. Ryan's jaw cracked as he pulled his knee up and hit Alex in his groin.

"SHE'S MY SISTER, SO I GET DIBS!" He yelled back, using his elbow to knock Alex to the side, who was busy tending to his aching crotch.

"Ryan, that's incest man…" Liam stated as Kirk slipped his arms under Claire's armpits and lifted her to her feet.

"Are you okay?" Kirk asked. This time, Claire didn't object as her boyfriend leaned down to lock lips with her. She closed her eyes and gave into his kiss, but before she could get lost in it, she felt Jim violently get ripped away. Her eyes snapped open to find Ryan throwing her boyfriend into a medical cart. Liam merely stood at her side and watched.

"Wow… that's… wait, where did Spock go?" Claire asked as she noticed the Vulcan missing.

"I don't know, but you should be glad he's gone. It's bad enough that your brother is macking on you," Liam said. She nodded and froze when Ryan began walking toward her. She quickly grabbed him and shoved him in the supply closet and locked it. She sighed in relief, though it didn't last long when she saw both Kirk and Alex fighting and she ran a hand through her hair.

"Um… what the hell is going on here!" she snapped.

"Claire-Bear! I love you!" she heard Ryan yell from the closet. She shivered and moved as far away from the closet, as if it were poison.

"Claire, tell this blonde bimbo that you love me!" Alex shouted, his hazel eyes glaring at the captain.

"I'm her boyfriend!" Jim shouted, pushing him into a bed and stalking over to Claire, causing her to take a step back. Jim paid no attention to the look Liam was giving him as he pushed her up against the wall and attacked her lips with her own. They were no longer soft and gentle as she remembered; instead they were harsh, and demanding. She gave a small moan into the kiss before he was ripped away from her once again, and she came face to face with Alex.

"Claire, I love you, I know you love me too," he said, his hands cupping her face. She tried to pull away but his grip was too strong.

"Liam! Help me!" she pleaded. Liam walked over and pulled the man away from her, causing what sounded like a whimper to erupt from Alex. Claire gave an exasperated sigh and ran a hand through her hair. She glanced over at Jim, who was being held back by McCoy, and she briefly wondered what happened to her Vulcan commander.

"Bones, let me go! I need to make love to her right away!" Jim shouted. Claire turned bright red and suddenly wished she were anywhere but here.

"No you won't! You don't know how to please a woman like I could!" Alex shouted. Jim scoffed and tried to break free from McCoy.

"Okay, what the fuck is going on here?" Claire shouted.

"It's the damn chocolate!" McCoy replied as Jim continued to struggled against his grip. Liam was still struggling to hold Alex back.

"What the hell?" Claire breathed out as McCoy grabbed a hypo-spray canister off a nearby table and injected Jim with it before he could get to Claire. Jim's eyes closed and he fell to the floor.

"Claire, get in my office. This stuff won't last long," McCoy instructed as he approached Alex and injected him as well. Without a word, McCoy grabbed Liam by the collar and pulled him into his office as well before locking it behind them

"Dr. McCoy, can you please explain what happened here?" Claire asked as she watched the supply closest door crumbled under Ryan's strength and Jim rose to his feet, massaging his neck where he got hit. Alex still lay on the ground, having got injected after Jim.

"The chocolate effects those who have high amounts of testosterone and causes their hormones to run wild. In simple terms, it makes guys go crazy over women. Don't worry, Claire, your brother doesn't really want to have sex you with, he just can't control himself right now," McCoy explained as Alex rose to his feet as well and the three men agreed to get Claire out of the office and fight over her later.

"Is that why we weren't effected?" Claire asked as she backed into the corner. Alex made a pelvic thrusting motion at her while she saw her brother lick his lips seductively. Jim just had to smile at her for her to know that she was currently a piece of meat to him.

"Females don't get effected because they don't have nearly as much testosterone needed for the chocolate to take effect. I'm assuming that Dr. Peterson has more estrogen than testosterone so he also wasn't effected," McCoy told them as a chair went flying through one of the many windows surrounding his office.

"Man, now I really wish I was Claire…" Liam mumbled as Alex forced his way through the hole that was created. Shards of broken glass lodged themselves into his hands and clothes, but he ignored the pain and bleeding. Instead, he focused on Claire's body and getting over to her. Claire positioned herself behind Doctor McCoy and gave a groan of frustration.

"I just had to come to work today," she muttered. Alex was able to get through the hole, but Liam held him back.

"Claire, please, I need you!" Alex shouted.

"Jesus Christ, fuck me instead," Liam said. Claire paled when she saw Ryan get through the glass.

"Fuck, I'm out of here," she muttered.

"Good idea, I'll handle these two, you got Jim?" McCoy asked. She rolled her eyes.

"No, but I'd rather be forced into sex with him than my brother," she said. McCoy nodded and grabbed Ryan.

"Fair, enough, go!" she nodded and ran though the door, only to be caught by Jim.

"Hey Babe, I think this is too crowded, let's go to my room," he said. She didn't even get a chance to answer before he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Oomph, Jim, put me down now!" she shouted. He didn't pay attention as he walked out of sickbay and headed toward the lift. "Jim, put me down!" she hissed.

"Claire, we'd make it to my room much faster if you let me carry you," he said. She rolled her eyes. She was about to protest until she saw her brother and Alex walk out of sickbay, causing her to turn pale.

"Come on, hurry up!" she said, smacking his back lightly. The lift opened and Jim turned around. She couldn't see what happened, but it sounded like Alex and Ryan charged toward the door only to have to close in their face. She gave a sigh of relief before Jim put her down. He didn't kiss her a first, simply cupped her face in his hands and gazed deeply into her panicked grey eyes. Normally she would pick the romantic gaze over anything he was giving her earlier, but there was nothing romantic about his gaze. It was filled with nothing but lust and hunger, and she was being smothered in it.

"Jim…" she breathed. He said nothing and leaned down, pressing his lips against hers. They moved slowly against her own, but every fluid motion just seemed to hold more passion than the last. Her knees became week and she leaned against the lift doors in order to keep standing. Jim let one hand run through her hair as the other rested on the small of her back, pulling her hips against his. She gave a small gasp when she felt the bulge in his pants, and he used the opportunity to let his tongue explore her mouth a bit.

He leaned in toward her, almost crushing her between himself and the door. However, she responded to the slow kiss, causing him to put a bit more passion in it. The kiss was much different than the one in sickbay. Before, it was urgent, as if he needed her right that very moment. This kiss was much slower, and much more sensual. He moved his lips away from hers and brought them to her jaw, while his hand rose to rest up from her waist and stopped not far from her breasts.

Suddenly, the doors opened, taking away the sturdy wall the two of them were leaning on. Claire suddenly felt herself fall, and a sudden weight pile on top of her, causing her to let out a groan of pain. Jim suddenly positioned himself so he was straddling her waist, and he looked over her.

"You alright?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yeah I'm…" She suddenly trailed off when he lifted his shift above his head, exposing his well toned chest. Her jaw dropped and she let her eyes memorize every aspect of his body. He smiled, obviously liking that his 'girl' liked to look at him, and leaned down and kissed her once more. He positioned himself so he was between her legs, and she could feel how excited he was to be there. His hands rested on her thighs as he moved his mouth down to her neck.

"Jim, wait…" he didn't reply as his hand moved further up her legs, and his mouth began to more ferociously attack her neck. She resisted the urge to moan, realizing that they were still in the middle of a hallway. She sighed and attempted to lightly shove him off, but his weight was too much for her to lift.

"Jim, we're in the middle of a hallway," she said. He spent a few more moments on her neck before raising his head back up to her lips.

"I can't make it to the bed," he told her. She sighed and again tried to push him off her, but he was stronger and heavier than she was. Just as he leaned down to claim her lips again; someone cleared their throat from across the hallway. Claire looked up to find David from security starring at her. Before she could say anything, another door slid open and Oliver stepped out.

"Um, you guys might want a room," Oliver pointed out as Jim groaned at the aching throbbing coming from his little captain.

"Claire, I need you right now," he moaned as his lips trailed down the side of her neck and buried his face in her collarbone.

"Oliver… please help me…" Claire said, trying to hold back the moan that was trying to fight its way through her mouth as Jim's teeth caressed her sensitive skin. David merely watched as the red-haired man crossed the hallway and tried to pull Jim to his feet, however Jim wasn't going down without a fight. Claire watched helplessly as Jim's pants dropped to the floor and he became deadweight in Oliver's arms.

"Jeez, he's heavy," Oliver grunted as the captain broke free of his grasp and tried to lung at Claire again. Before he could get his hands on her, David stepped forward with his taser and shocked the captain. Jim twitched as the jolt of electricity shot through his body and he fell to the floor.

"Oh my god, thank you guys so much!" Claire cried out as she latched herself onto Oliver. Oliver smiled and embraced the scared blonde as he looked down.

"That man has skill, I must admit, but he kind of looks like a fool with his pants on the ground and a huge boner poking out in his boxers," Oliver stated as David walked away without a word. Claire looked down too and felt her cheeks go red as she glanced over Jim's body. She quickly looked away and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Can you um… well…" She trailed off and looked at him pleadingly. Oliver nodded and went to cover up the passed out captain. Once he had his pants on and some of his shirt, Oliver looked back at Claire.

"So… what's going on?" Oliver asked. She sighed and leaned against the red headed engineer.

"I'm never eating chocolate for the rest of my life…" she muttered. Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure what chocolate has to do with this, but good luck!" before he could walk away, Claire grabbed a hold of his arm and pulled him back.

"Oliver, I know I don't know you all that well, and you don't know me, but you have to help me. I've got three guys trying to fuck me, one of them being my brother…" Oliver scrunched his nose. "Oh yeah, it's that bad…"

"Well… what do you want me to do about it?" he asked.

"Hide me, or something! I don't care where. I just need to be away from them for twenty-four hours… or… twenty-three now, or till the effects of the chocolate ware off. Please!" she begged. Oliver paused before shrugging.

"Sure, why not… you can hide out in engineering." She gave a sigh of relief and hugged him.

"Thank you, I owe you big time for this," she said.

"You can let me off my meds for a little bit," he suggested.

"Not that big…"

"That's what she said." Claire couldn't hold back the laugh as he walked with her to the lift. They quietly made their way down to engineering, and it didn't take long for Colleen or Rupert to find them.

"Oliver, there you are. We were wondering where you- Oh, hey Claire!" Colleen said. As soon as Claire saw Rupert she marched up to him and smacked him right across the face.

"Bloody hell woman! What the hell was that for?" he snapped.

"You had to give them the chocolate, didn't you? You just had to! Thanks to you, I was almost gang banged by three guys, one of whom is my brother! Thanks a lot!" she screamed. A deathly silence fell over the room as Rupert comprehended the words that Claire just said. Colleen on the other hand, didn't need as much time.

"What do you mean your brother is trying to bang you? That's incest and he's my boyfriend!" She snapped, but Claire rounded on her.

"I don't want to be the object of his sexual urges, you keep him!" Claire snapped back as Colleen furrowed her eyebrows. Oliver gave Claire a sympathetic pat on the back as Rupert took off his working glasses and rubbed them clean on his shirt.

"Okay, so why are three men trying to have sex with you? What does this have to do with the chocolates?" Rupert asked. Claire shook her head.

"Those were Betazoid chocolates that ended up making their hormones go crazy and now they're trying to get with me!" She declared, falling back into one of the many chairs spread throughout the engineering deck. Rupert sighed.

"I didn't know that. If I did, I wouldn't have given them my chocolates," Rupert apologized as a crackling filled the room.

"This is Liam to the engineering deck, is Claire there?" Liam's voice echoed through the desk. Claire whirled around in her chair to the intercom.

"I'm right here, what's up?" She asked worriedly. Rupert and Oliver leaned over Claire's shoulder in order to here more as Colleen glared at them from across the room.

"Damn, I was hoping that you weren't there. Your brother and my sexy machine are headed your way now from the main lift. I suggest getting out of there as soon as you can!" He shouted as the lift doors chimed. Claire shot a panicked glace at the lift as the arrow indicated that the lift was headed to their floor.

"Crap. Okay, can you guys cover for me? I'm going to hide out in my room until this whole this blows over," Claire asked as she jumped up from the station and headed towards the second lift in the back of the engineering deck.

"Of course, Claire. We'll handle Alex and your brother, just get going," Rupert instructed her as the lift door beeped open and Alex came stumbling out.

"CLAIRE! I NEED YOUR MOUTH ON MY PENIS!" Alex cried out as he tried to stumble over to her. Oliver grabbed one of his arms, pulled him to the side, and pinned him on the ground as Ryan also stepped out from the lift. Colleen was surprised to see his lust filled eyes focused on his sister and no one else.

"Ryan babe, it's me, your girlfriend," Colleen whispered to him as his gaze remained on Claire.

"Please Claire, stop running away and just let me love you in a way that every brother should love his sister; passionately through love making." Everyone in the room cringed in disgust as Colleen felt her heart grow heavy. She had hoped to never have to hear Ryan say such things to anyone else, let alone to his own sister. Colleen placed a hand on Ryan's chest as her lovesick eyes turned to Claire.

"What are you waiting for? Get the hell out of here!" Colleen shouted as Ryan tried to run forward after his sister, but Colleen's hand grasped his shirt, giving Rupert enough time to lung forward and shove Ryan back. Claire wasted no time in darting back to the lift and punching in the floor to her room. She leaned back into the wall and took a deep breath as her thoughts continued to race. Her own brother was trying to kiss her and get her in bed. She shuddered at the disturbing thought as she reached her floor. Cautiously, she took a few steps out of the lift and double checked that the coast was clear. When everything appeared to be fine, she took off running towards her room. Spock was still out there somewhere and the captain could have been up by now. She just hoped that no one would go looking for her in her room.

* * *

Jim woke up with a splitting headache and a throbbing groin.

"Ugh… Claire?" He groaned out as he surveyed the hallway for any sign of his girlfriend. When he realized that she wasn't in sight, he struggled on his shirt the rest of the way as the need to be with Claire kicked in again. He had to find her.

"Perhaps she'll be in her room…" He mumbled to himself as he took off running towards her floor. Even if she wasn't there, she was bound to go there eventually and low and behold, there he'd be all ready and willing. It was a perfect plan that Jim was positive no one else would think of. After what seemed like forever, Claire's door came into sight. Jim slowed his run down to a fast walk as he straightened his shirt out and tried to move his pants a bit to alleviate the pain in his groin just a little bit.

"Here goes nothing," Jim said to himself as he said the master code to the computer which unlocked Claire room. The door slid open and Jim quickly entered the darkened room, but not before catching sight of a figure spread across the bed. Without thinking, Jim quickly removed his shirt, kicked off his boots, and pulled at his belt. He was going to surprise Claire alright…

* * *

Claire arrived at her room to find her door unlocked and slid open as she approached the door. She quickly slipped in when she noticed the cost was clear and flicked on the lights to find a very naked Kirk on top of a very naked Vulcan.

"AHH! OH MY GOD!" She screamed. There was a long pause before both men realized the position they were in.

"Captain, we seem to be having this recurring problem of your male genitalia trying to make its way into my anal cavity," Spock said calmly. Claire gave a small groan of annoyance and covered her face with her hands.

"Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. OH. MY. GOD!" she cried. She could only take so much. It was bad enough that her brother was trying to sleep with her, her best friend was convinced that she needed to suck his penis, and her boyfriend almost raped her in the hallway. Now, she had her commander, and her boyfriend, naked and on top of each other. In. Her. Bed!

"I thought you were Claire, I wanted to surprise her!" Kirk said, trying to defend himself. Claire let her hands drop from her face as she turned to walk out.

"I am not dealing with this. This is a dream. I'm going to wake up and everything will be… fine," she said. She went to walk out of the room, but found that the door was jammed. She gave a frustrated sigh and banged her head against the door. "God damn…" she muttered.

"Jim… we really need to stop getting into these situations. The first time was understandable, but the second time is just uncomfortable," Spock said.

"Second time…?" Claire asked. She turned around just in time to see Jim get off the bed and expose his 'assets'. She covered her eyes and dropped her head.

"HEY! What happens in the tent stays in the tent!" Jim shouted. Claire felt her face heat up to a bright red and sighed heavily.

"I'm pretty sure I'd rather be raped in the hallway," she muttered. She felt a pair of hands grab a hold of hers, and she suddenly sound herself looking at a very naked Vulcan in front of her.

"Why do it in the hallway when we have a fully functional bed right here?" He whispered to her, but his version of seduction was just emotionless words in a soft tone.

"Um no, if anyone is going to be boinking Claire, it's going to be me. I'm her boyfriend and she's one hot piece of ass!" Jim said, pushing Spock aside, who was also just as naked. Claire felt an uncontrollable lustful heat rush between her legs as the two naked men continued to fight over her.

"Excuse me captain, but I'm afraid that my flexibility and large male genitalia might pleasure Dr. Conaway more than you could," Spock stated, gesturing to his erect member. Claire tried to force herself to look away, but couldn't help at taking a peek down at mini-Spock and the little captain.

"I need to get out of here…" Claire mumbled to herself as her skin felt like it was on fire. Jim stepped towards Spock.

"No one can please women like I can and now is no different!" Jim yelled as Claire tried to concentrate on the ceiling tiles. If she waited long enough, perhaps they would just disappear.

"With that little thing…?" Claire refused to look, even as she heard Jim pushed off from the ground and the two men fall to the floor. She could hear them grunting and the slapping of flesh against flesh.

"Must… not… think… dirty… thoughts…" She said to herself through gritted teeth as Liam's words about a threesome became fresh in her mind. She glanced down at Jim and Spock and choked on her own saliva. Jim had Spock pinned to the floor, there pelvises touching and causing Claire to feel faint.

"Fuck…" she muttered, leaning against the door. At that time, the door opened and she fell into McCoy, who glanced at the two of them before looking down at Claire, who was quite pale.

"Yeah, we need to get you out of here," he said. He tried to get her to move, but she was rooted to the ground.

"They…" McCoy sighed and picked her up, making sure he locked the door on the way out.

"Come on Conaway, you need to walk!" he said, walking down the hallway. When they got halfway down, he set her down and grabbed her shoulders.

"I just… wow…" she muttered. She ran a hand through her hair and glanced up at him.

"Conaway?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I need therapy, you have no idea…" he muttered. He sighed and led her to the lift.

"Chambers and your brother are confined to their rooms with heavy sedation. Someone from security will come and take care of Spock and Kirk… you should probably spend the night with a friend. Maybe Peterson…" she nodded.

"Yeah, at least I don't have to worry about him hitting on me." McCoy laughed and led her to sickbay.

_**

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**_

Raxsah:

_So, because we did this beforehand, and it was kinda supposed to be part of last chapter, we will combine reviews from this chapter and last chapter. Sorry guys, but with our schedule's between both our jobs (Which I just got :D) it's hard to get together. But we will reply to each and every one of them. Remember the review contest  
__**Jeck: **__With 50 reviews, I'll perform oral sex on you. :3__**Raxsah: **__… Or we can just write them a story… that's probably more appropriate… reviewer number 50 get's a story just for them. Read memo of last chapter to get rules.  
__**Jeck: **__We'll write our own stories. With our bodies. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__… you need to go to bed, work has made you tired. Anyway, hope you at least made it through this chapter, look for review reply's next chapter.  
__**Jeck: **__Blasphemy. It's a funny word.  
__**Raxsah: **__Le sigh. Enjoy._


	13. The Best is Yet to Come

_**Jeck: **__So we're back and we're better than ever. Though, our awesome levels haven't really changed.  
__**Raxsah: **__Not really, we always are, and always will be kick ass. ;D  
__**Jeck: **__We'll be kick ass and we'll be kicking asses!  
__**Raxsah: **__Word! We have a very long chapter this time, in celebration of… being… alive?  
__**Jeck: **__Or since we've got a shitload of stuff written and we're only posting a little bit at a time?  
__**Raxsah: **__I'm going to go with the fact that I have a wicked cute mouse. Hahahahaaaa. So, thanks to everyone who has added this to our alerts and favorites lists.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, thanks. Raxsah has a one track mind. Lol  
__**Raxsah: **__I have a feeling that might have been sarcasm. Anyway our competition is still on, however, we're never going to get to fifty unless people review. So if you're not reviewing because you're waiting for number 49, you might want to wait until we get to 45. Just saying.  
__**Jeck: **__Or maybe you can man up and just review. Waiting until 49 makes you seem like a little bitch. Just saying.  
__**Raxsah: **__Wow… that was mean. Anyway, if you aren't reviewing because you don't want a story written for you, don't worry. We'll ask you and if you say no, we'll move onto number 51 or 49, depending on what side of the coin lands.  
__**Jeck: **__Jeck is massively confused.  
__**Raxsah: **__Doesn't take much, does it.  
__**Jeck: **__Thanks buddy. I'm glad you're so nice to me. Anyway, onward and downward!_

_**

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**_

Chapter 13: The Best is Yet to Come

* * *

"Claire… you don't have to work you know… I mean I know- OH MY GOD! What is that on your neck?" Liam shouted. Claire's face turned bright red as she attempted to hide the red mark on her neck.

"Liam, shut up!" she hissed.

"Did that happen yesterday? How come I didn't notice it last night?" He asked. Claire glared at him and continued to look at her charts.

"Liam… you are extremely frustrating sometimes," she muttered.

"Which lucky man gave you that little number? Was it Alex? God, I hope it wasn't your brother." Claire buried her face in her hands.

"Liam…"

"Looks like it might have been Kirk… or is that Spock's love bite? If it is, I wouldn't suggest showing lieutenant Uhura… might make things awkward…" Claire said nothing, but looked up just in time for Alex to walk through the door, Ryan right behind them. Claire slowly dropped behind the medical station, as if it were a hiding spot.

"Quit hiding Claire, we know you're there!" Alex shouted across the room. Claire knew she was busted, but didn't move.

"Come on, Claire. We need to talk about this…" Ryan said, though she could hear the strain in his voice. Claire still refused to move from her spot. How was she supposed to look at Alex and her brother? Mostly her brother…

"Oh come on. Just get out here already," Liam scoffed as he walked behind the medical station and pushing Claire out into the open. She rolled on her side and looked up at Alex and Ryan. Alex appeared to be more annoyed than anything else while Ryan looked mildly ill.

"I hate you… a lot, Liam…" Claire snapped as Liam shrugged.

"Sort this out now. You work with Alex, Ryan is your brother, and you'll eventually have to deal with Kirk later," he scolded as he offered her his hand. Claire took it, halfheartedly, and stood up to face the two men causing her such distress.

"I don't know why you're bugging about me. We kissed plenty of times when we were going out and I've been trying to get you in bed practically since the first day we met," Alex said as he crossed the room to one of the work stations and began carrying on with his work as if there were no problems. Claire rolled her eyes. She knew she wasn't embarrassed about what happened with Alex, except for the fact that she wasn't into him and had a boyfriend. She sighed and turned to her brother. Automatically it felt as if there was a heavy weight in the room, and it was if there was something heavy on her chest. Ryan ran a hand through his short stubby here and tried to give Claire a half smile.

"Somehow, I think that sorry isn't even going to cover this…" he mumbled as Liam gave her a shove forward.

"Deal with this now," he whispered to her and crossed the room to hang out with Alex. Claire scratched the back of her head nervously as Ryan gestured to a couple of seats. Wordlessly, they both took their seats, but refused to make eye contact.

"I puked for an hour… if it makes you feel better" Ryan started, still not meeting Claire's eyes. Claire looked up to see the sorrow in her brother's eyes and her heart ached. She wanted to say something to comfort him, but she was just as disgusted and upset as he was.

"I don't have any hidden romantic feelings for you," he stated and glanced up at Claire. Claire looked away as she struggled to find something to say.

"You kissed me… you tried to kiss me with tongue…" she whispered to him, causing him to cringe.

"Yeah, I know. I remembered that part…" Claire raised an eyebrow at his words.

"This is just too weird…" she mumbled and Ryan placed his face in his hands. He was trying not to get all emotional, but it was becoming harder and harder by the second.

"Colleen's not talking to me, Kirk keeps glaring at me, and I feel god awful. Please don't hate me, Claire-bear. I didn't mean for all that to happened," he pleaded and Claire sighed. He was her brother, after all.

"I could never hate you, Ryan, but I just don't think I can deal with this right now. Just give me some time… try to go work things out with Colleen and I'll talk to Kirk. Just please, give me some space. I still love you, but it's just way too… I can't… I'm sorry…" Ryan nodded as Claire tried to find the right words to say, but none came to mind. No one ever told her how to deal with awkward unintentional make outs with your brother and Claire had no idea how to deal with it.

"Space… I can do that. Can we try to talk again at the end of the week at least?" Claire nodded as Ryan just looked at her with sad eyes. It broke her heart, but there was nothing more that she could do or say. Ryan nodded too, sensing that the conversation was over. He rose to his feet, walked to the door of sickbay, and gave Claire one last look before disappearing into the hallway.

"That could've gone better…" Alex mutter across the room. Claire turned around and glared at him.

"Yeah, well no one asked you!" She snapped, crossing her arms angrily. Liam just shrugged.

"You didn't… you didn't sleep with him did you? Cause I'm sure that'd make any sister awkward, seeing your brother's junk in action and all…" Liam trailed off as Alex broke out into laughter.

"Liam, I swear to god that I will kill you if you don't shut up!" Claire shouted, jumping from her chair and going into the other room of sickbay.

* * *

"Oh god… Rupert, I feel awful…" Ryan said as he placed his head in his hands. He was sitting at Rupert's station in engineering while the Brit watched him self-loathing.

"Eh, it's not your fault. If anything, it's my fault. I gave you guys the chocolates without realizing what they did. Bloody hell, don't beat yourself up over it. You've got to make it right!" Rupert told him, but Ryan only grunted in response. Rupert sighed as he pulled out his handkerchief and wiped the dirt off his work glasses.

"Why do you always do that? It makes you seem so British," Ryan stated, turning his head to the side to look up at Rupert. Rupert just rolled his eyes as he replaced his glasses on his face.

"I am British," he stated, sending Ryan a tiny glare.

"Well, stereotypical British," he said as he smiled. Rupert sighed and smiled back.

"Yeah, and you need to fix things with your girlfriend. So go fix it. She should've started her shift a few minutes ago," Rupert told him. Ryan sighed as he slowly rose from Rupert's seat and scanned the room for his blonde haired girlfriend. After a few seconds, he found her talking to Oliver in the corner.

"… so don't hold it against him. He didn't mean what he did and you know he loves you," Oliver told her as she merely folded her arms.

"He shouldn't have eaten those chocolates," she muttered, but Oliver shook his head.

"Ryan didn't know what the chocolates did!" Oliver stated.

"Yeah, and you have no idea how sorry he is for his behavior yesterday," Ryan said as he approached them. Oliver looked over at Ryan before walked away, trying to give them some space. Colleen just glared.

"What are you doing here?" She snapped, turning back to her work station. Ryan took a step forward.

"They didn't want me reporting back to duty yet since I'm head of security. They said I need to get my head right. And right now, all I want to do is tell my beautiful girl how damn sorry I am," Ryan explained as he leaned against the wall next to her station. Colleen didn't even look up.

"Maybe she doesn't care," Colleen said bluntly and resumed her work. Ryan sighed and got down on his knees so that he was at eye level with her.

"You think I'm not going crazy about this? I made out with my sister and I almost puke every time I think about it. And I cheated on my girlfriend, the one girl who understands me and puts up with me all the time. The one girl whom I love…" At Ryan's last words, Colleen looked up.

"Don't use that word unless you mean it," she snapped, causing Ryan to flinch.

"I wouldn't. From the first moment I told you I loved you, I've always meant it and I always will," Ryan whispered to her. Colleen didn't look over at him, but she reached out and grabbed his hand.

"You hurt me, Ryan. You hurt me a lot…" Ryan nodded and leaned down to kiss her hand.

"And I don't mind spending the rest of my life trying to make it up to you," he told her. Colleen finally turned to face him with a smile on her face.

"Let's take it one day at a time, okay? First off, there will be no more making out with your sister, is that clear?" Colleen told him, a smile slowly spreading across her face. Ryan smiled back.

"Trust me, it will never happen again." Rupert turned to see how Ryan was making out with trying to win Colleen back and blushed as he realized that the two of them were locked in a kiss.

"Well, at least he won't be mopey about that anymore…" Rupert told himself as Colleen wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck and pulled him into her lap.

"You know, they could at least get a room," Oliver said as he walked up to Rupert's station. Rupert nodded.

"Yeah really, like we need to watch Ryan make love to our boss while we work," Rupert replied dryly as he turned back to work. Oliver shrugged as he turned his attention back to the couple making out.

"I wouldn't mind catching a glimpse of a naked Colleen…" Rupert turned around to smack Oliver upside the head.

"Stop staring and go take your medication," he instructed. Oliver groaned and headed back to his station.

* * *

"Great, this is the last thing I need right now!" Claire cried out as she leaned down onto the floor of her room. She felt weird being back in her room, but Rocky needed someone to take care of him. The Rottweiler pup whined as Claire picked him up into her arms.

"Poor puppy…" she whispered lovingly. There was a pile of vomit on the floor and poor Rocky could barely stand. She gave a heavy sigh as she felt his nose, and frowned even more.

"You're nose is really hot, you okay buddy?" she asked. He said nothing but continued to whine. She quickly walked out of the room, the puppy in tow and walked down the hallway to the lift. On her way there, she almost ran head first into her brother, who looked like he was a little uncomfortable.

"Oh, sorry…"

"Rocky's sick, what do I do?" she asked. Ryan frowned and looked down at the small puppy in his sisters arms.

"What do you mean he's sick?" Ryan asked.

"He's sick, like vomiting, hot nose… what do I do? There really isn't a vet around here…" she said. Ryan reached forward and let his hand rest on the dog's nose.

"Umm… did you try talking to McCoy?" He asked awkwardly, feeling bad as the sick puppy looked up at him with sad brown eyes.

"What the hell would he know? He's a human doctor, not a vet," she snapped, pulling Rocky away from her brother angrily.

"You can try, I'm sure Alex would try and help you out. I'll go with you…" he said. She nodded and held the small dog closer to her chest.

"Okay, is he going to be alright?" she asked. Ryan sighed and pet the dog.

"I hope so…."

"Doctor McCoy, you have to help me!" Claire shouted. She ran right up to him and practically shoved the dog in his arms.

"What the hell?" McCoy asked. "This is a dog!" McCoy snapped.

"He's my puppy, I'm pretty sure he's sick, you need to help me!" She cried. Ryan stood next to her and watched at McCoy looked down at the dog, a very annoyed expression on his face.

"I repeat, he's a dog. I don't do dogs," he mumbled in a grumpy tone as Alex looked up from his work.

"I would hope not. That's bestiality and that's low, even for you," he whispered to Claire. She giggled at his words and McCoy shot them a glare, obviously hearing his words.

"You're giving me plenty of reasons not to help out, Chambers. Get back to work or you'll be working graveyard for the rest of the week," McCoy snapped. Alex immediately ducked back down to his work, pretending he was no longer a bystander.

"Can you help him?" Claire asked, giving McCoy a pleading look. The older man sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Fine, I'll check him out. You own me a ton of graveyard shifts after this Conaway…" Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"What did I do?" he asked. McCoy shot him a glare and took the dog to a bed table and grabbed a scanner.

"You know damn well who I was talking to." Ryan shot Claire a smirk, and she held back the urge to giggle. McCoy pulled out his scanner and checked over her puppy. She heard Rocky give a small whimper and she grabbed onto her brothers arm.

"Is he alright?" she asked. Ryan nodded and patted her shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm sure he's fine… just sick…" he said. She nodded and watched as McCoy finished his scan and glanced back at her.

"Is there any reason a pair of men's underwear is currently in you dogs stomach?" McCoy asked shooting Claire a concerned look. Claire felt her heart stop as she looked down at the puppy.

"... Underwear...?" She managed to squeak out as Ryan began to chuckle.

"Boxers or briefs...?" He asked with a smirk. McCoy shook his head.

"I believe they're boxers," he told them. Claire placed her face in her hands to hide the blush that was creeping onto her face. Ryan rubbed that back of his head.

"Well they're not mine, though I doubt my underwear would be lying in your room," Ryan said, trying to hold back his laughter at his sister current position. McCoy sighed.

"And it's not Jim's." Silence fell over the room as everyone froze. Even Alex stopped what he was doing and looked up. "What?" McCoy questioned as he noticed everyone's scared and confused looks.

"How do you know what kind of underwear Kirk wears?" Alex asked.

"I lived with the guys during his academy years, if you think the man is crazy now, you should have seen him during the academy…" Claire gave a heavy sigh and looked back at her dog.

"Is he going to be alright?" she asked.

"He should be fine… I'll give him a shot to make sure the… underwear, can be digested. He should be alright in a few hours. You owe me a ton of graveyard shifts, at least a week's worth…" he muttered. She sighed and hugged her brother, happy that she didn't kill her second pet. Ryan hugged her back and gave a small nod toward McCoy, who went off to deal with some 'real' patients.

"It'll be alright… he's going to be fine…" Claire nodded and moved to sit next to the bed. Ryan paused before sitting next to her.

"I'm not mad at you…" she told him.

"Good to know," he said. She nodded and began to stroke the puppy's paw. Rocky maneuvered his nose under her hand in an attempt to get her to pet him. She smiled as obliged to his request.

"I wasn't mad, it was just weird. I just… I need some time to disgust it all," she continued, though Ryan didn't appear too interested. Instead, he leaned over and began scratching the puppy behind the ear.

"I get that. If I were in your position, I'd be freaked too. But I'm glad we're talking again," he told her, though his focus still appeared on the dog.

"He doesn't sound too sincere. I say you make him give me his pudding cups for the rest of the week," Alex called from the other side of the room. Both Conaways looked up and glared.

"Shut up, Alex!" They both cried in unison. Alex rolled his eyes and went back to work. Claire sighed and looked back to her puppy.

* * *

It never surprised her own quiet sickbay got at night. Even as she sat next to her dog, she was still astounded by the sheer lack of noise it seemed to hold. As she watched her dog slowly fall asleep, she unconsciously rubbed her neck, where a dark bruise still lay painted on her skin. She knew people were giving her strange looks, and she was sure after the incident in the hallway, it wasn't a secret who it was from either.

"You look tired," a voice called. She glanced over and saw Kirk leaning against the medical station. She turned bright red and looked back at her dog. She wasn't quite sure how to talk to him just yet. Their relationship went from 'let's take it slow' to 'I'm going to rape you in the hallway.' Though, she was pretty sure that if she liked it, it wasn't rape. When she didn't reply, he made his way over to her and stood next to her and in front of Rocky.

"Is he alright?" Kirk asked. She nodded and kept her hand on her 'bruise.' If he didn't see it, it wasn't there.

"Yeah… he'll be fine," she said. He nodded.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked.

"He… swallowed… underwear…" she replied nervously, finding it hard to find the words to describe the situation.

"Oh really? Was it yours?" Kirk asked, taking a seat on one of the countertops in the room. Claire wanted to roll her eyes when she realized that he was using an actual seat as a footrest.

"No… it was S-Spock's…" She stuttered, looking down at the ground as her face lit up like a Christmas tree. Kirk's face also went red as memories from the day before rushed back to him.

"Oh… good thing it wasn't mine," he stated. Claire nodded without really thinking. Her current thoughts were revolving around a certain captain, his underwear, and the awkward situation she was currently dealing with.

"Yeah, me too," she mumbled under her breath, but the silence of the room allowed Kirk to pick up her words.

"Why? As long as their off, doesn't matter where they go, right?" She ran a hand through her hair as she kept her gaze focus on her dog.

"Sure…" she replied. He paused before giving a small sigh.

"So… um… about yesterday…" he trailed off. She subconsciously rubbed her neck, her thoughts immediately returning what happened in the hallway a little less than twenty-four hours beforehand.

"I hope that's not your way of taking it slow…" she commented. A smile made its way to his lips.

"Well, if you like it…" at first she didn't reply, she simply looked down. "I guess not…"

"I'm not saying it wasn't… enjoyable… it was. I just wasn't expecting it for another couple of weeks, or more like a couple of months." He nodded. There was a brief silence in which she dropped her hand from her neck. He immediately spotted the bruise and his eyes went wide.

"Did I do that?" He asked hesitantly, leaning forward to try to get a better look. Unconsciously, Claire leaned back and tried to hide it.

"Um, yeah," she replied nervously. Kirk opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say, so he closed his mouth again. Claire looked down into her lap and began twiddling her thumbs, unsure of what to say next.

"Trust me, it wasn't such a walk in the park finding out that I was anally raping one of my best friend's in my girlfriend's bed," he started, trying to lighten the mood. Claire chuckled, but the awkwardness was still there.

"No, you just kind of tried to rape your girlfriend the old fashion way," she mumbled, not realizing how Kirk might react.

"I didn't mean it Claire, I swear! I'm completely cool with us taking it slow!" He defended; trying to refill the grave that he'd accidentally dug himself the day before. Claire felt her resolve starting to fade as she felt herself starting to get lost in Kirk's sorry blue eyes.

"Like I said… I didn't dislike it. I really do want to take it slower," he nodded and sat next to her, taking her hand in his.

"How about I make it up to you? Our next shore leave I'll take you out to a nice dinner. It'll be romantic and completely chick flick worthy…" he said. She smiled.

"I like chick flicks… and chick books too," she told him. He laughed.

"I can't say I even read the chick books… but I'm a sucker for chick flicks…" she scoffed and rolled her eyes at him.

"Liar… I bet you haven't even seen a chick flick," she said.

"You'd be surprised what I used to do to sleep with a girl," He told her. She paused as she looked over at him.

"Do I want to know?"

"Considering you're my girlfriend and not the girl I'm trying to get into bed, no, not really," he told her, scratching his head as he gave her a devious smile. Claire just rolled her eyes.

"You're right, I don't," she stated. They just sat in silence and exchanged glances. Without warning, Claire broke out into laughter. The memories of the past two days caught up with her from making out with her brother, to her best friend, to finding her boyfriend and his best friend having butt sex in her bed, to having her dog get sick on her boyfriend's best friend's underwear. It was disgusting, but hilarious now that she looked back on it. Kirk watched her for a minute before bursting out into his own laughter.

"I'm sorry, I just… things are just so insane, it's not something they tell you when you join Starfleet," she said. He laughed and leaned back in his chair. She took a deep breath and leaned against him, letting him wrap an arm around her shoulders, making it more comfortable for her and him.

"I'm glad you did join Starfleet. At the very least, you're something nice to look at." she rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the side.

"Jerk…" he laughed and shrugged.

"You like me regardless." she sighed and looked back at Rocky. Jim just pulled her closer and enjoyed the fact that her body fit perfectly against his.

"Excuse me, Dr. Conaway? There's a problem in… oh, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt. I'll just go get Dr. McCoy." Claire and Kirk looked up to see the lanky ensign David Sheppard standing in the doorway. Claire started to get up, but Kirk wouldn't let her go.

"He's just going to get Bones," he whispered in her ear. Claire sighed and pulled away.

"That's what I'm afraid of. I'm going to get in trouble for not working," she replied and crossed the room to where David was standing, giving her an awkward glance.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Dr. Conaway." she shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, what do you need?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you could help me out, I was having some headaches and they don't seem to be going away…" She paused before nodding.

"Sure, right this way…" she turned around and shot a sympathetic look to Jim, who simply sighed and turned toward the dog.

"Even when we're going out I can't get any action…"

* * *

Ryan glanced up as his girlfriend sat next to him with her breakfast tray. The top of her blonde hair was pulled back, leaving the bottom free to fall down her back; it even looked like she took time to do her make-up.

"Morning," she said. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips.

"Morning, you look nice..." he stated. She smiled and began to eat her eggs.

"Thank you, I woke up a bit earlier..." she said.

"So, what do you think about talking to the captain about getting our own room?" he asked. She paused and tilted her head.

"You mean like... moving in together?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yeah... what do you think?" he asked. She smiled and nodded.

"I like that idea... I love you," she said. He smiled and kissed her once more, adding a little more passion into it.

"Can you not do that before we eat? It's really gross..." Rupert muttered as he sat down on the other side of Rupert. Ryan broke away just in time for Claire to sit down across from him, a data pad in one hand, and a paper cup of coffee in the other.

"Morning Claire..." She gave a nod of her head and took a large gulp of her coffee. Ryan raised an eyebrow and watched as Alex sat down next to her.

"Hey," Alex said as he began to stuff his mouth full of food.

"What's wrong with my sister?" Ryan asked. Alex raised an eyebrow and glanced at the data pad before rolling his eyes.

"It's a new research article. We get them every so often; I think Claire and McCoy are the only ones who are reading them..." Alex stated. Claire went to take another sip of her coffee and frowned.

"Damn, I'm all out..." she muttered.

"Maybe it's for the best. That's your third cup this morning," Alex said.

"This article is interesting. A guy was having sex and couldn't get rid of his erection for like... twenty hours..." Claire said.

"Jesus... is that like... doctor porn?" Rupert asked.

"No, it's called learning. The doctor explained how he had to go in and re arrange the nerves... it's pretty awesome," Claire said. Ryan rolled his eyes and watched as Captain Kirk walked up, a coffee cup in hand. He simply placed the cup on the table and took her old one away.

"Morning..." he said, before walking away. Claire smiled and turned red at the gesture, and grabbed the cup.

"Aww, that was so sweet," Liam said, sitting down next to Claire.

"Shut up..." She muttered.

"I don't like him..." Ryan said.

"Ryan..." Colleen warned.

"Why don't you like him?" Claire asked.

"I just don't... why do I need a reason?" He asked. Claire pressed her lips together and took a deep breath. She was not going to fight with her brother, not after just get on good terms with him. She took another sip of her coffee and went back to her article.

"So... Shore leave is coming up next week, is anyone excited?" Liam asked.

"I am, I haven't had a good shore leave in some time," Rupert said.

"Me too, I plan on finding a hot babe and getting laid," Alex said.

"Pig..." Claire muttered. Alex rolled his eyes and finished his breakfast.

"Whatever..." he said.

"Are you excited, Claire?" Colleen asked. Claire put down the data pad, realizing she wasn't going to get any work done, and nodded.

"Sure... it's nice to have some time off."

"I thought you'd be more excited about your date with Kirk..." Liam muttered.

"Oh... I am, but I have a lot to do between now and then, so it's been a bit difficult to really focus on dating..." she explained.

"No time to... woman, we are having a girl's night and I am going to get your head out of work. You have the hottest Captain in Starfleet wanting to be all over you and you're so... whatever about it." Claire rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, but after Valentine's day it's been a bit hard to really get into dating. I've already seen more of him than I should have..." She muttered. Ryan chocked on his eggs and Colleen rolled her eyes and smacked his back.

"Get over it, she's twenty-three... it'd be weird if she wasn't having sex," Colleen said. Ryan glared at his girlfriend before glaring at his sister.

"I don't want you sleeping with him..."

"You're statement is noted and ignored. Excuse me, I have work to do," Claire said, getting up with her coffee and leaving.

"You know... she really likes him," Liam said. Ryan shot him and look and Liam shrugged.

"He's no good for her... he's just after her for sex." Colleen sighed and looked at Rupert, who just rolled his eyes.

"I don't think so. Not anymore," Alex said.

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

"I don't know... after all they had been through those six months... it's different now..." Alex stated.

"What do you mean? What happened in those six months?" Ryan asked. Colleen sighed.

"Nothing happened, and then… everything happened. They just sort of bonded over those months." Ryan rolled their eyes.

"Whatever."

* * *

"You know what I hate more than graveyard shifts?"

"What?"

"Pointless day shifts. There is no one in this place…" Liam muttered. Claire rolled her eyes and continued to organize the medical files. Liam sighed and began to read through a few of them.

"It's not that bad, it's better than doing nothing." Liam shrugged and continued to read.

"Pavel Andreievich Chekov… god his parents must hate him," Liam said.

"It's a Russian name, plus it's a middle name… they are supposed to suck." Liam rolled his eyes.

"My middle name doesn't suck…" Liam defended.

"Oh really…" Claire said absentmindedly.

"Yeah, Liam Joseph Peterson… it's a nice middle name," he said.

"I'm tempted to call you Joey now…" she stated. He laughed and watched as she continued to file.

"Aren't you going to tell me your middle name?" he asked.

"Nope…" she replied.

"Aww, you're no fun." She rolled her eyes and stood up.

"I'll tell you my brothers middle name if you want." He scoffed and followed her out into sickbay.

"Are you going to make me guess?" he asked. She sighed and pulled out a chart.

"Guess all you want, you're never going to get it…" she said.

"Get what?" Alex asked from the computer.

"Claire's middle name, she won't tell me what it is." Alex glanced up.

"Why not? Is it something embarrassing like Matilda?" he asked. Claire scrunched her nose but continued to look through the charts, ignoring him all together.

"Claire Matilda Conaway… no, I don't think he parents were that mean…" Liam said.

"I can always look it up," Alex suggested.

"I didn't give Starfleet my middle name. As far as they are concerned it doesn't exist," she said. Alex sighed and looked at her further.

"Marie…" he stated.

"Claire Marie Conaway… no, it has to be something more embarrassing than that. Claire Beatrice Conaway…"

"God no, my mother would rather kill herself then name me Beatrice."

"Greta?"

"No."

"Doris?"

"No."

"Zelda?" Claire gave a frustrated sigh and slammed down her charts.

"You're never going to know, so don't even bother. Why don't you guys actually do some work?" she asked. She then walked off and began to help a patient, leaving the two men alone in sickbay.

"You think we can get Ryan to tell us?" Liam asked.

"Maybe, but I don't care enough to find out her middle name…" Alex said.

"What is your middle name?" Liam asked.

"Justin," Alex answered.

"Alexander Justin Chambers, weird." Alex shrugged and went back to his work.

* * *

Ryan gave a small yawn as he looked over the monitors. Part of being chief of security, was watching the cameras and making sure everything looked fine. Of course, it seemed the drama level of the ship was at a low lately, which meant that the ship was unusually quiet.

"Lieutenant Commander Conaway… I have a those reports you were asking me about." Ryan glanced up and forced a smile on his face for Ensign Sheppard, though he found it difficult every time to do so.

"Thank you Ensign…" He replied. A second later the sound of crashing echoed through the deck. "What the hell was that?" he asked.

"A fight sir, I believe…" Sheppard answered. Ryan rolled his eyes and stood up. He made his way to where the fight was taking place and pulled the two ensigns apart, surprised to see one of them being a female.

"Stop it! That's enough. Are you members of Starfleet or children?" he hissed. The woman scoffed and moved some of her dark brown hair out of her face.

"Tell that dickweed that my ass is not a stress ball and he is not free to squeeze it when he wants," she snapped. The other man sighed.

"Come on, you can't flaunt that ass around and not expect a squeeze, take it as a compliment," he said. She paused before rushing forward to throw a punch at him, but was stopped by Ryan grabbing a hold of her.

"Alright, calm down. The next officer who sexually assaults another officer in any way will have to answer to me. Starting with you, ensign… you'll be doing graveyard shift for two weeks and will have to write a written apology letter to your fellow ensign, am I clear?" he said. The ensign sighed but nodded.

"Yes sir," he said. Ryan sighed and looked over to the Hispanic woman glaring at the other man.

"Is that suitable, ensign…"

"Ensign Lopez, Annalisa Lopez…" she said. He nodded.

"Is that suitable, Ensign Lopez?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yes sir," she answered. Ryan let her go and ran a hand through his short hair.

"Alright, back to work," he said. Everyone lingered for a moment longer before the group began to go back to work, and Ryan let out a sigh and walked back to his station. He supposed her shouldn't have been surprised that Ensign Sheppard was still waiting for him. He was surprised to see the man print something out and stuff it in his pocket.

"Can I help you, Ensign?" Ryan asked. Sheppard turned around and clasped his hands behind his back.

"No sir, I'm fine…" he answered. Ryan raised an eyebrow and looked him up and down.

"Were you looking for something?" he asked. Sheppard shook his head.

"No Sir… I'm fine. I should be getting back to work," Sheppard said. Ryan watched as he walked away, and then turned back to the computer. He tried to figure out what the man could possibly be looking for, but couldn't pick it out exactly.

"Computer, reprint last item," he said. The computer complied and pretty soon a picture printed out. He grabbed it and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and also in disgust. In front of him was a picture of the captain getting cozy with a girl in sickbay. It took only a moment longer before he realized exactly who the girl was. He looked up in the direction the Ensign went and pressed his lips together.

"What the hell are you up to?" he asked softly.

* * *

"Ryan, are you alright?" Colleen asked, entering the bedroom. Ryan looked up from his desk and smiled.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" he asked.

"You keep messing with our stereo, I'm sure you've broken it like eight times. What are you even trying to turn it into?" she asked.

"I'm trying to make it so it can shuffle when you just snap your fingers…" he explained.

"Because telling it to shuffle is too much work?" she asked, sitting on their bed. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I just need something to distract me. I used to do this all the time as a kid." Colleen raised an eyebrow.

"You messed with all the stereos in your house?" she asked. He laughed and leaned back.

"No, I mostly messed with the toasters. Claire was so pleased about that," he said. She chuckled and threw a pillow at him. He grabbed the pillow after it hit his head and turned toward her.

"You're such a dork," she said. He smiled wickedly and practically ran over to the bed and climbed on top of her.

"I'm a dork am I? You weren't complaining last night," he whispered. She laughed and kissed him deeply.

"No, I can't say I was." He chuckled and fell to the side, pulling her close to him. She sighed and cuddled, being comfortable just laying next to him.

"I don't like that guy," Ryan said suddenly.

"Don't like who?" Colleen asked.

"That Sheppard guy, he's… weird," Ryan said. Colleen chuckled and looked up at him.

"Why? Did he steal your lunch money?" She asked.

"No, he's just printing out pictures of my sister and her… boyfriend," Ryan said, spitting out the last part as if it were poison.

"Okay… he's a major creep. Has he caused any trouble?" Colleen asked. Ryan shook his head.

"No, nothing, his record is clean too. There is just… something about him though," Ryan said. Colleen shrugged.

"Just keep an eye on him. Until he actually does something there is nothing you can do," She said. He nodded and gave a small yawn.

"Yeah… I suppose."

* * *

Claire gave a frustrated sigh as she threw aside another skirt and looked in her closet. When she left New York for San Francisco, she left most of her wardrobe at home, thus leaving a lot of her 'dating' clothes home.

"Liam… what am I going to wear?" she asked.

"Clothes… unless you want to get him in bed as soon as possible, then wear nothing at all," Liam said, playing with Rocky. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. When she asked Jim about the dinner, he said jeans and a nice top would be fine, but he didn't give much else for details, so she was left in the dark.

"Liam… I seriously need help. I didn't have many dates back on earth, and all my 'going out' clothes are a little hoochie." Liam raised an eyebrow.

"Did you seriously say 'hoochie'? I thought only old ladies said that," Liam muttered. Claire gave a frustrated sigh and threw a pair of black jeans at him.

"Please find something that goes with this. Please?" she asked. He gave a heavy sigh and walked up to her closet, going through a few things. Eventually he pulled out a shirt and threw it on the bed.

"Tada! I'm so good at this, you should be paying me," he said. She glanced down at the shirt and raised an eyebrow. It was a plain dark blue sweater type shirt, that was off the shoulders and looked bunched up at the shoulders. The whole thing was long sleeved, but looked like it would hug her curves.

"Wear this? Is it supposed to be unflattering?" she asked. Liam rolled his eyes.

"It will not be unflattering. It gives a bit of a feel for your curves, without showing any skin. It's prefect for a virgin date…" Claire raised an eyebrow.

"A virgin date?" Liam chuckled and sat down on the bed.

"A date where both members really want to have sex, but are aren't going to, for many reasons. One, it's too early in the relationship. Two, one of them is recovering from a bad relationship. Three, one is recovering from being a sex addict. Four, one, or both, hasn't had sex in a while. I'm pretty sure you and Kirk covered all of the above," Liam said. Claire rolled her eyes and sat down in her desk chair.

"I guess your right," she muttered.

"Claire… I'm always right. Where have you been?" Claire chuckled as she scooped up her clothes.

"I guess I'd better go get changed for my 'virgin date'," she mumbled as a sly smile spread across Liam's face.

"You know, I guess you can count the whole Valentine's Day fiasco as the fifth reason for your virgin date…" Liam said, trailing off to see the flustered look that had appeared on Claire's face.

"Go take Rocky for a walk around the ship or I'll shred all your porno magazines!" Claire threatened. Liam quickly jumped to his feet, letting out a soft shriek of fear. He grabbed Rocky's collar from of the coat hanger by the door and was out of the room with Rocky before Claire could say another word.

* * *

"So this is the Inchon? It's pretty dinky compared to some of the space stations we've stopped on before," Alex mumbled as he stepped off the shuttle that had carried the group from the ship. Liam stepped out from behind him, wrapping a purple scarf around his neck.

"Hey, as long as there's a good party scene around here, I'm set!" He said happily, rushing next to Alex. Colleen and Ryan stepped off next, their hands intertwined. Rupert trailed behind them, his hands in his pockets in a nonchalant manner. Finally, Claire stepped out.

"As much as I'd love to join you guys, I've got a date tonight," Claire declared happily. Ryan rolled his eyes but forced a smile on his face for his sister.

"Have fun, be careful," he warned. She nodded and gave him a quick hug.

"I will, bye boys, don't get in too much trouble," she said. Liam smiled and Alex rolled his eyes.

"Just go, I'm going to get drunk," Alex said. Claire chuckled and went to turn away, but Liam pulled her back.

"Hold on," he said. He moved a few strands of her hair and smiled. "You look sexy, I'd go straight for you," Liam said.

"Really?" Alex asked. Liam paused before shaking his head.

"No, but you look sexy regardless." Claire chuckled before taking off into a different part of the station. Ryan sighed an the rest of the group made their way into the bar section.

"Bartender, five shot's of your strongest stuff!" Liam called.

"You sure you want the strongest? It-"

"We want the strongest. It's our first night off in forever, so we're partying it out!" Liam said. The bartender shrugged and poured them all shots.

"So… what are we going to toast to?" Colleen asked.

"Work? Adventure? Love?" Ryan suggested. The bartender placed green shots in front of them and went back to work.

"Yes, let's toast to life," Colleen said. Liam rolled his eyes.

"I'm toasting to find a hot steamy man and getting some!" Liam declared, holding his shot glass up in the air before chugging it down. The rest of the group followed the suit, each making a face as the alcoholic burn flowing down their throats.

"Man, that guy wasn't kidding when he said this was strong!" Alex said, choking back the tears the threatened to form. Rupert scoffed.

"You guys need to step it up. It's pathetic just watching you!" He said, motioning for another shot.

"That stuff is like toxic!" Colleen stated as she coughed, trying to get the shot to settle into her system.

"Another round?" Ryan asked in a husky tone, the shot still burning his throat. Liam nodded eagerly.

"Most definitely!" he said. Another round was poured and they quickly took another shot. Almost as soon as the liquid made it's way down their throats, Colleen had to blink. She must really have been cutting back on the drinking, because it was only her second shot and she was a bit tipsy.

"Whoa, this stuff is…" She trailed off.

"Awesome!" Alex finished. Liam nodded.

"I hope Kirk doesn't give this to Claire, there is a good change her virgin date will turn into a not so virgin date," Liam said.

"What the bloody hell is a virgin date?" Rupert asked.

"A date where both people really want to have sex with each other, but won't because of man reasons. Valentines day being one of them," Liam said.

"Can we not talk about Valentines day? Bartender, another round!" Ryan shouted. Soon another round was placed in front of them.

"If it isn't too much to ask, can you get us something really strong to sip on?" Colleen asked. The bartender raised an eyebrow but nodded.

"He keeps giving us funny looks, like we shouldn't be drinking," Liam said.

"Who cares, we're here to get piss drunk, let's get drunk!" Rupert shouted. The rest of them cheered and took another shot.

"Shit… I love this song!" Liam shouted. Colleen smiled.

"I do too!" she exclaimed. Liam grabbed her hand and began pulling her to the dance floor the bar had.

"Don't tell Claire, I'm only supposed to dance slutty with her," he said. Colleen laughed and took a sip of her drink while moving her hips.

"Man… I think I'm going to take that red head home tonight," Alex said. Before he could step up, he saw Rupert get up and make his way over to her, causing Alex to give a groan of frustration. "I so called dibs!"

"You're going to lose dude. He has the accent going for him," Ryan said, taking a long sip of his drink.

"Damn… even Claire has more chance of getting laid tonight than me," Alex muttered. Ryan flinched but couldn't say anything before Rupert sat back down.

"She's a lesbian," He said. Alex frowned, then smiled.

"I don't feel so bad, now we both have an equal chance of not getting laid." Rupert raised an eyebrow but went back to his drink.

"Whatever. Are you running out of women in sickbay?" Rupert asked.

"No, well… yeah. The only hot girls there are Claire and one new nurse, but Claire is dating Kirk, and the new nurse is a little… out of it," Alex said.

"You already dated Claire, dude," Rupert said. Alex looked confused before nodding.

"Right, I did…" he mumbled. Ryan shot him a tiny glare, but turned his attention back to the dance floor.

"Okay, so why is it that Liam is grinding with my girlfriend and I'm not?" He shot, causing Alex and Rupert to follow his gaze. Liam was grinding behind Colleen, who was rocking out to the song being played. Alex chuckled.

"Go do something about it, dude!" Alex encouraged him. Ryan put back another shot before making his way out to where Colleen and Liam were dancing.

"Mind if I cut in?" Ryan asked. His tone was more demanding than he intended, but Liam backed away.

"Fine. I'll go see if I can get Alex to squirm for me on the dance floor!" Liam called over the music. Colleen smiled as Ryan pushed his body against hers and let bass pulse through his body.

"You're not a bad dancer, if I may say so myself," she said. He smirked and placed his hand on her hips.

"Well, it's easy when I have a fine piece of woman in front of me," he said. She smirked and let her hands move up and down his body.

"You're such a charmer," she whispered in his ear. He smiled and kissed her sensually.

"Come on, please!" a voice cut in. Colleen broke away to see Liam pulling Alex to the dance floor.

"Damnit, Liam… let go!" he snapped.

"Dance with me!" Liam asked. Alex gave a frustrated groan and tried to pull away.

"No, I'm not dancing with you." Liam stopped and glared at him.

"Yes you are." Alex crossed his arms.

"What are you going to do is I don't?" Alex asked. Liam paused before a wicked smirk made it's way to his lips.

"If you don't I'll tell Claire about your little secret," Liam said.

"What secret?" Alex asked, though his face became deathly pale.

"The secret that started when you fell asleep in sickbay. Remember? You and I were the only ones on duty." Alex's face went deathly pale, but slowly made his way to the dance floor.

"I hate you… I hope you know that," he spat. Liam just grinned like a cat before grabbing Alex's arm and pulling his body close.

"I know and I'll have you screaming it later," Liam whispered. His hot breath tickled Alex's ear. Perhaps it was the alcohol, back Alex couldn't stop himself from leaning closer to the source of heat.

"You couldn't get me in bed if you tried," Alex hissed through clenched teeth, allowing the slightly shorter man to run his hands down his chest as their hips shook in time with the pulsing music.

"Perhaps, but it doesn't appear too hard to get into your dreams," Liam said with a sly smile. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he muttered.

* * *

Claire gave a sigh as she finally entered the lobby of the restaurant. She subconsciously went to go run a hand through her hair, but stopped when she realized it was pulled back into a pony tail, leaving only her bangs free from the elastic band.

"Claire!" a voice called. Claire turned around and smiled lightly at the sight of Jim making his way toward her.

"Hey," she replied. Again, she added to the list that the man could look good in practically anything he dressed in. He wore a pair of black jeans and a light grey dress shirt, letting a couple of the top buttons undone.

"I'm glad you made it!" he said, leaning down and pressing his lips against her cheeks. Even the simple gesture was enough to send her heart leaping into her throat.

"I'm glad I came," she said. He smiled widely and took a hold of her hand.

"Let's get a table. They have a nice view of the stars, and it's not far from a dance floor," he said. She looked at him a little warily.

"Dance floor? I didn't think you were that much of a fan of dancing," she said. He shrugged.

"No, I'm not. But I thought you might have and I wanted to be sure," he said. She chuckled and followed him to the table.

"That's sweet of you," she said as they approached the table. Jim smiled as he pulled her chair out for her, not holding back with his signature charming smile. Claire gave him a grateful smile as she took her seat.

"You know, I try." Claire felt her heart flutter and swallowed the lump that was slowly forming in the back of her throat. Jim straightened out his shirt before taking his seat across from Claire. For a brief instance, the strong smell of Jim's cologne wafted under her nose and tickled her sinuses. The waiter came over and quickly took their orders, and the two of them sat in silence for a moment.

"So…" she started.

"You look wonderful by the way. I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier," he said. She blushed and looked down.

"Thank you… you look nice as well." There was a silence before Jim spoke.

"So… according to Uhura… this is the question date." Claire raised an eyebrow.

"The question date?" she asked.

"Yeah… it's like twenty questions… but more than twenty questions," he explained. Claire shrugged. It was better than the virgin date.

"Alright… did you want to start?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Uh… alright… birthday?" she chuckled.

"You know this, January 30th. You?" she asked.

"March 22nd," he answered. She paused before her eyes went wide.

"That's like… in four days." He looked confused before shrugging.

"I guess it is. I didn't even realize." She rolled her eyes before she realized it was her turn.

"Uh… where were you born?" she asked, taking a sip of her wine.

"Technically I was born on a shuttle escaping from the _Kelvin._ You?" he asked.

"I was born in my living room. Apparently my dad couldn't get my mom to the hospital fast enough so she had to give birth to me there." She told him. He nodded.

"So… favorite color?" He asked.

"I don't know… I think it'd have to be white. It's just so… pure. Yours?" she asked. He pondered her question for a moment.

"Well, it used to be red, but I really like the color grey now," he told her, plucking a roll out of the basket sitting between them.

"Oh really? Why the sudden change?" She asked, feeling like she should grab a roll of her own. Jim smiled as he applied a thin layer of butter on his roll.

"I never knew how beautiful and full of life grey could be until I looked into your eyes for the first time," he said, adding a bit of seductiveness to his answer. Claire felt her butter knife slip from between her fingers as her heart seemed to stop.

* * *

"Those four are ridiculously drunk!" Rupert called over the roar of the music. Colleen and Ryan had gone from dancing, the dirty dancing, to practically having sex on the dance floor. Rupert was even surprised to see Alex getting into the dirty dancing with Liam. The bartender overheard Rupert's words and walked over to him.

"That's because they're drinking Romulan Ale. You wanted the strongest and I gave it to you. That shit is illegal in half the galaxy," he explained. Rupert looked down at his glass and shrugged.

"Still bloody good shit if you ask me…"

* * *

"So… which do you like better? Books or Movies?" Jim asked, finishing his chicken. Claire thought about it as she placed another small piece of salmon in her mouth.

"I like movies, but books were always my favorite. You?" he shrugged.

"I like movies better. But I'm not afraid to admit I've read a few really good books." Claire's eyes lit up at the prospect of possibly finding someone who she could talk about books with.

"What is your favorite book?" she asked. He took a sip of his wine.

"_The Great Gatsby,_ I've probably read that book a trillion times," he said.

"Ah… yeah. It's one of my top ten, though I don't think I could read it over and over again," she commented. He nodded.

"What would be you're number one favorite book?" he asked.

"_Crime and Punishment,_ hands down," she answered without hesitation.

"I've read that. Why is that your favorite book?" he asked. Claire paused to dab at her mouth with her napkin before resuming their conversation.

"It's very complex and I like that. It really takes a look into the way we as humans think and how we respond to guilt. It's hard to explain…" Claire trailed off, taking the opportunity to put another bite of salmon back.

"I understand what you're talking about. Raskolnikov thinks that because of his intelligence, he can commit the perfect crime with a clear and level head, but even he is fooled by his emotions. It's a very complex book with relatable themes." Claire felt her heart speed up as Jim explained his opinion on her favorite book.

"Yeah… that's' a perfect way to explain it." For a moment, Claire and Jim locked eyes and gave each other a simple smile.

* * *

"We're gonna… head outta her…" Ryan slurred as he slipped his arms around Colleen's waist, not caring as his hands slowly made their way up her shirt. Colleen giggled and leaned closer to her boyfriend. Rupert merely rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, at least wait until you get to the room till you take off your clothes," he said.

"Okay, by Ruppy!" Colleen called as Ryan attempted to drag her away. They slowly made their way out of the club and Rupert snuck a look to see what position Liam and Alex were in.

"Oh, bloody hell," Rupert muttered. The two men were still dancing, but Liam's hands were practically burying themselves down Alex's pants, and Alex didn't seem to mind.

"Dear lord. Even that Virgin date sounds better than this," he muttered.

* * *

"Do you want to dance?" Jim asked. Claire glanced at the dance floor before looking back at him.

"We don't have to, I mean… if you're not big on dancing-" Jim rolled his eyes and stood up, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet.

"Just shut up and say yes," he said. She blushed and she was sure her veins were on fire.

"Yes, I'd love to dance," she replied. He smiled and led her to the dance floor, causing a few people to give them a few looks. When they got to the middle, he wrapped an arm around her waist, his hand resting at the small of her back. She let her arm drape over his own, her hand resting near the back of his neck. His hand grabbed a hold of hers, and they slowly began to move to the beat.

"I believe it is your turn," Jim said. She paused in order to think of a question.

"What made you want to join Starfleet?" she asked.

"I didn't, not at first. One night I met Captain Pike, or now it's Admiral Pike. He sort of dared me to join Starfleet, and I'm not one to refuse a challenge." Claire chuckled.

"I didn't think you would be," she said softly. He smiled.

"Everything after that sort of fell into place." Claire nodded and let her eyes get lost in his bright blue. "What about you? Why did you join Starfleet?" Claire thought it over for a good minute before she had an answer.

"I honestly… don't know," she said. He raised an eyebrow.

"You don't know? People usually don't join Starfleet on a whim, there had to be something behind it." She looked down at his shirt and tried to think of her reason.

"I guess… I guess I joined because Ryan did. I didn't want to be left alone at home, but he had to get out of that place as soon as he could, and I didn't want to be left home alone. So I just went with him," she said. He raised an eyebrow.

"What was so bad about your home that you had to leave?" he asked. She looked up and pressed her lips together.

"I… it's a long story. It's something you don't tell your boyfriend on the second date," she said. He gave her a look but didn't push her. They danced in silence for a minute before he spoke.

"What was your first thought when you saw me?" he asked.

"I thought you had to be the most handsome Starfleet captain I've ever seen," she told him. This earned a smile from the Captain as he subconsciously pulled her closer to him. "And you?" she asked.

"Honestly? I thought you were the prettiest blonde in the bar," he said, earning a blush from her.

"Has your opinion changed?" she asked. He chuckled.

"No, I still think you are the prettiest blonde in the bar. There is a lot more to you know though, personality wise." She smiled and nodded, accepting that answer. "You?"

"Well… now that I think about it, Captain Keys from the _U.S.S. Fireraider _was really cute…" she trailed off and chuckled at the look she earned from Jim.

"Nice…" he said.

"I'm joking. I still think you're the most handsome Starfleet Captain I've ever seen. But there is much more to you than a pretty face," she said.

"Yeah, an extremely awesome body," he told her. She chuckled and sighed, resting her head against his toned chest. She had a sudden overwhelming urge to be close to him, and his arm pulling her closer was the only thing she needed to encourage her. He rested his chin on the top of her head, and savored the smell of berry's and cream that made it's way to his nose.

"Would you like some dessert?" he asked softly. She pulled away and nodded.

"Sure… just a little, I don't think I could eat something big, I'm pretty full from dinner" she said honestly. He nodded and they walked back to the table. Right before she went to sit down Jim spoke.

"So… what's your favorite sex position?" he asked. The question caught her so off guard that she completely missed the chair and fell on her butt. The table shook slightly and a few people turned toward her with shocked faces. Claire felt her cheeks catch fire as she got back up into her chair, ignoring that many pairs of eyes.

"That's a bit much, don't you think?" She whispered through clenched teeth. Jim just smiled.

"I'm sorry, but I just love to see you blush. You look so cute when you're embarrassed. Are you alright?" he said, admiring the way her facial features were accented with the sudden color rushing to her cheeks. If possible, Claire felt her blush increase.

"I'm fine… I just don't think that's an appropriate question to ask on our virgin date." Claire's hands flew to her mouth just as she realized what she just said. Jim raised an eyebrow.

"Our virgin date?" She buried her face in her hands trying to stop him from seeing how red her face was. Jim just reached across and pulled her hands from her face. She tried to ignore the fact that he was laughing. "Don't hide your face, just tell me what a virgin date is…"

"I don't even know what it is. Liam said it was when two people go on a date who really want to have sex with each other but won't for… various reasons," She confessed. He still held her hands in his, and a smile was still on his lips.

"You want to have sex with me?" he asked.

"I…" she trailed off and tried to pull her hands away to hide how red her face was. Jim just continued to laugh.

"If it makes you feel better, I want to have sex with you. I guess that's not much of a secret though…" she shook her head.

"It's way to early.. I mean-"

"I know, I know. Don't worry Claire, we won't have sex tonight. I promise. Unless you want to," he said. She laughed and continued to look down. She secretly wished she didn't pull her hair back so it could hide her face from Jim.

"Oh my God," she muttered. He chuckled and kissed the back of her hand, causing what felt like electricity to flow through her arm.

"Let's just eat dessert," he said. She nodded and picked up a menu.

"Sound's great," she muttered. They were silent for a minute before Jim snort. Claire looked up to see him trying to hold back laughter. "What?"

"Virgin date…" Claire folded her arms angrily as Jim burst out laughing.

"I hate you a little bit right now," she warned him, but Jim just continued laughing.

* * *

"I am not walking back with you two," Rupert grumbled as he led Liam and Alex out of the bar. Liam seemed to have calmed down a bit as soon as the music was out of earshot, but it appeared as if Alex was just getting started.

"We're two dunk dues… you're making us woke home alones…?" Liam slurred as Alex wrapped his arms around the shorter man. Liam moaned at the contact and arched his head back to nibble on Alex's ear. Rupert rolled his eyes.

"Bloody hell, can't you two just keep your hands to yourselves for just one minute!" Rupert cried, pulling the two men around. He shoved them both down the hall and closed the door, not wanting to see any more of what they were doing. Liam simply laughed and turned to face Alex.

"We're all alone…" he said, before bursting out into giggles. Alex smiled, but it didn't seem like he was all there.

"That we are…" he answered. Before Alex could say anything else, Liam leaned forward and attacked Alex's mouth with his own. Alex responded almost immediately, and soon found himself pulling the man closer to him. Liam pulled away and smirked.

"My room or yours?" he asked. Alex's head was spinning, and he barely registered what Liam had said.

"Yours?" he asked. Liam simply smirked and attempted to lead the man to his room, but seemed to be falling over himself as he did.

"Oh my God, I can't even walk. HA!" Liam said while bursting out laughing.

"I know, how are we going to make it to your room?" Alex also burst out laughing, and a couple walking by gave them a weird look before practically running off.

"We will do it, I will have you in my bed tonight, whether you like it or not," Liam said. Alex paused before he began to insanely giggle.

"That's called rape," he said, still giggling. Liam laughed but continued to lead him to his room.

"It's not rape if you're moaning," he said, kissing his neck and finding a sweet spot immediately. Alex couldn't help, but let out a moan as Liam's soft lips continued to move against the flesh. Liam ran his eager tongue down Alex's collarbone, pausing as he reached his shirt.

"No fair," Alex moaned in a light headed, airy voice. The stench of alcohol filled Liam's senses as he pushed the button for the door to his room to open. He all , but shoved Alex into his room and tackling him to the bed. Liam's leg could feel the budge in Alex's pants trying to get out, but ignored it as he reached for the bottom of Alex's shirt instead.

"You won't be needing this for what I have planned," he whispered, yanking Alex's skin tight black shirt over his head and tossing it to the side. Alex attempted to remove Liam's shirt, but was having a bit of trouble doing so. Liam noticed and removed it for him.

"Jesus, when did you find time to work out?" Alex asked. Liam chuckled and leaned down, capturing his lips with his own. His own pants began to become extremely tight as he let his tongue slip through Alex's lips. Both their tongues fought for dominance, but Liam eventually won out, being the more experienced one in the situation. Liam pulled away from Alex's lips and began to make of trail of kisses down to his nipple, letting his tongue caresses his sensitive skin. Alex arched his back and Liam smirked.

"I told you I'd get you into my bed," Liam whispered, his kisses traveling farther down his body and stopping right above his pants and licking the skin seductively. Alex moaned and grabbed a handful of Liam's hair, causing Liam to moan as well. Deciding to be a tease, Liam undid the button of Alex's jean's painfully slowly. Alex groaned as Liam allowed his hands to "accidentally" brush past the tent in Alex's pants.

"Would you just take my pants off already?" Alex called out, practically begging for Liam to continued. With a smirk, Liam unzipped Alex's pants and gently pulled them down as to not harm his erection. Alex sighed in relief as the only thing that stood between the two men was Alex's thin black briefs.

"Briefs? I'd always expected you to be more of a boxers kind of guy," Liam said. Alex said nothing as he flipped the two of them over, causing him to be on top.

"I had to wear them with those jeans," he said. Before Liam could answer Alex took off the man pants off and began to kiss him feverishly. Liam simply pressed his hips against Alex's causing Alex to moan. Liam flipped them so he was on top and smirked. He went to take Alex's underwear down, but Alex stopped him.

"Wait, I don't…" he trailed off.

"Don't what?" Liam asked. Alex ran a hand over his face.

"I don't know… how…" he said softly. Liam chuckled and kissed him deeply.

"It's alright, I'll do all the work. You just lay back and moan," Liam said, kissing him and taking his underwear off.

* * *

Claire laughed lightly as she and Jim began to walk to her quarters. His hand tightly held hers, and it seemed the closer they got to her apartment, the more Claire was sad to see the night end. Eventually they reached their destination and she opened the door, ignoring Rocky's clawing at his cage.

"I had a great time, even though my butt still hurts a little bit," Claire said.

"I'm glad your virgin date went well," he said. She rolled her eyes.

"It was Liam's words, not mine," she defended. He chuckled as he took a hold of her hand and took a step closer to her.

"I'm glad you had a good time, hopefully we can have another in the near future," he said. She smiled and nodded, her stomach jumping when he leaned down, his lips moving closer toward hers.

"I'd like that, I'd like that a lot." He smiled, and right before his lips met hers, a loud bark echoed through the hall. He jumped and looked past her to see Rocky growling. Claire turned her dog and glared.

"Rocky, be quiet!" she snapped. She turned back to Jim, and he attempted to kiss her once again, only to have Rocky bark at them once again. Jim sighed.

"I don't think he likes me," Jim said. They attempted to kiss once more, and they were met with the same result as before.

"Rocky!" Jim sighed and grabbed her wrist and pulled her outside the room and closed the door. Before she could say anything, he leaned down and captured his lips with hers. Her stomach released the butterflies it had been holding in, and she was sure her skin was on fire. His hand rested on the back of her neck and his fingers lightly played with her hair. While the other rested on her waist. Her own hands found their way to his neck and chest, and she let herself get lost in the kiss. Before either of them could deepen the kiss too much, he pulled away and left a small sensual kiss on her lips. She pouted slightly at his sudden break of the kiss, and he chuckled.

"That's it?" she asked. He laughed and let his hand massage the back of her neck slightly.

"Wouldn't want to give you too much on your virgin date." She gave a frustrated sigh. She knew this was going to haunt her for as long as she dated him.

"Fine, be that way!" She said, with a slight pout. Jim laughed slightly as he leaned down a captured her lips once more. Claire allowed her hands to rest against his chest, feeling his perfectly tone chest muscles against the palms of her hands.

"I really should get going," Jim whispered in-between their kiss, but Claire didn't answer. She merely pulled him closer, silencing any objection. He let both his hands rest at her waist, and moved his lips against hers. His tongue lightly licked her bottom lip and she opened her mouth, granting him permission to deepen the kiss. Her hands moved up and tangled into his hair. He pulled away a bit and took a deep breath.

"Claire, I need to get going," he said. She nodded slightly.

"Yeah," she replied. He kissed her once again and she pressed her body closer to his subconsciously, causing him to groan and pull away. "Sorry," she breathed.

"I should go now. Before I do something we'll regret," he told her. She nodded and pulled away, untangling her fingers from his hair.

"Goodnight Jim," she said, still a little out of breath.

"Goodnight Claire," he replied, kissing her lips quickly before smiling and walking down the hallway. Claire sighed as she leaned back into the doorframe and let her heart rate return back to normal. The effect that man had on her was amazing…

_

* * *

_

On with the reviews.

_**SWfangirl21  
**__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, Ryan is a pain in the ass sometimes. Hahahaaa. I know that Jim and Claire were MIA in the first chapter, but I think the Valentines Day chapter made up for it. ;D Alex is that pudding loving jerk you just love. Hahahahaaa. We're glad your love for pudding has been awakened. Good luck with the reviewing!  
__**Jeck: **__Oliver is always good for the comic relief in the story. I'm glad you love Liam and Alex as much as we do. They're just so easy to write, you know? Lol But yeah, the lack of Jim and Claire in one chapter will be made up throughout the rest of the story. Just keep reviewing. And no offense to you, it's nothing personal. I just think Parallel Days might get to 50 before you._

_**Lilly Romanov  
**__**Jeck: **__Comparing the Enterprise to a school is easily understood. All the drama and that fun stuff. Just keep reading, it always gets better. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__Lol, I think we've had a few nights like that. Though we might not have been studying. _

_**Parallel Days  
**__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, though the thought of being surrounded by a ton of guys just wanting you is awesome, it turns you off when one of them is your brother. I'm glad you liked the Kirk and Spock thing. It was hilarious to write. I'm not sure it's much of a secret anymore.  
__**Jeck: **__Shush! You'll spoil the secret! Lol Writing that last chapter was not an easy thing to do, let me tell you. We were like "What's the worse thing we can add to this?" You know? Lol Keep reviewing, buddy.  
___

_**Jeck: **__Another chapter down, still a shit load to post. We should probably get on that…  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, or just make them really freaking long. It's hard to get together when we're constantly working.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, and I'll be moving out to college soon, so it's probably going to get even harder. But we'll continue to post, the time between them will just be getting longer and longer.  
__**Raxsah: **__Eventually we might just post a fifty page chapter. Man… why did we make such a long story? Hahahahaaaa  
__**Jeck: **__Because we're awesome? And I tried to cram all of our ideas into this one story?  
__**Raxsah: **__Lol, next time, let's not do that. Anyway, thanks to all who read, keep reviewing! The more you review the faster we get to 50!  
__**Jeck: **__And then, 100! Let's go! We can do it! HUZZAH!  
__**Raxsah: **__LATER!_


	14. Rebel Yell

_**Raxsah: **__Hello everyone, did you miss us?  
__**Jeck: **__Greetings earthlings! We have returned from our outer space mission to Uranus. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__And apparently we left our maturity there.  
__**Jeck: **__Left or never was born with?  
__**Raxsah: **__Hmm… good point. Anyway, the point is, we're back and we're posting another long chapter.  
__**Jeck: **__We're gonna try to post long chapters for the rest of the story since we're over 500 pages and we just finished the main part of the story. Now we're just working on the epilogue.  
__**Raxsah: **__The long ass epilogue of epicness. Lol.  
__**Jeck: **__Indeed, indeed. So now it's just a matter of getting the story up online. Which of course, we're horrible people and are only going to post a chapter at a time. We enjoy torturing our readers. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__That, and we work… A LOT. Well… I do. If it wasn't for my boss taking a sick day I wouldn't be here. XP  
__**Jeck: **__And I just called into work tonight like an hour ago. So yeah, we're busy people. Money has that effect on moneyless people.  
__**Raxsah: **__Well… not so moneyless anymore. The shit we do for money. Anyway, we want to thank those who have added this story to their favorite's and alerts lists. We appreciate the gesture.  
__**Jeck: **__And the reviews. They make us smile and motivate us to update faster. Like now.  
__**Raxsah: **__Word. And don't forget reviewer number 50 gets a story written for them with any characters from the story. But we can't get to fifty without people reviewing!  
__**Jeck: **__So keep it up! Besides, we love to hear what you've got to say. Honestly, we're pretty pleased with the number of people who are now Alex/Liam fans. We are too, so it's okay. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, but we're sure you guys are looking forward to seeing the reaction. So let us begin!_

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Chapter 14; Rebel Yell

* * *

"I'm glad to see that you all regret last night's drinking escapade," Rupert said with a sneer as Ryan and Colleen practically collapsed on the table. Ryan's hair was askew, black bags hung low under his eyes, and his attire was sloppy. Colleen on the other hand looked as if she'd spent time applying her make-up and picking out her outfit, but she was unusually pale.

"I'm so hung-over…" Ryan mumbled as he moved the waffles on his plate around. Colleen hadn't even bothered getting breakfast and sat with her hands around a large mug of coffee.

"I feel like something died in my stomach…" She mumbled, taking a small slow sip of her drink. Rupert rolled his eyes as he dug into his large plate of pancakes without a second thought. Colleen's face paled even more as she closed her eyes. Ryan leaned over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Still feeling sick?" She nodded as Ryan began rubbing soothing circles on her back. Colleen leaned into his touch.

"Horribly. I've never felt so hung-over in my life…" She mumbled, burying her face in his chest. Ryan dropped his fork and wrapped both arms around her as she whimpered slightly.

"We're not drinking that heavily ever, ever again," Ryan told her.

"This is why I don't like bars," she muttered. Before Ryan could say anything, someone sat down next to Rupert, slamming their tray down on the table a little harder than intended. Both Ryan and Colleen flinched.

"Good morning, did you all have fun last night?" Claire asked, a smile on her face. Ryan and Colleen groaned and Claire furrowed her eyebrows and looked to Rupert for an answer.

"They're hung over. They had a bit too much Romulan Ale," he explained. She rolled her eyes and shook her head at her brother.

"You guys are idiots," she said, taking a bit of her bagel.

"You're in a good mood, I take it you had a good night?" Rupert asked. She smiled widely and nodded.

"Best date I've been on in a while. My ass kinda hurts though," she said. Rupert almost choked on his pancakes, and Ryan's head shot up, earning a groan of pain.

"You… what? It was a virgin date!" Rupert said. Claire looked confused before shaking her head.

"No, not like that! I fell off my chair!" Rupert rolled his eyes.

"Whatever…" he said. She went to try and explain herself, but a loud crashing echoed through the cafeteria.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Claire turned around to see Alex practically falling over a table to get away from Liam, who looked just as troubled as Alex.

"Alex, just calm down. We can talk about this in private-"

"NO! YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF ME! I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE WITH YOU!" Claire stood up and practically ran over.

"Guy's… what the hell is going on?" she asked.

"He took advantage of me while I was drunk!" Alex snapped. Liam crossed his arms.

"Jesus Alex, I was drunk… you were drunk, we both wanted it." Claire looked at them confused before she realized what they were talking about. She pushed them out of the dining hall and into the hallway.

"You two had sex?" she hissed. Liam gave her a half smile while Alex put his face in his hands.

"He fucking took advantage of me!" Alex cried out, ripping his hands away from his face and taking a step away from Liam. Both Claire and Liam frowned at his behavior.

"Okay, Alex calm down," Claire tried to reason, but Alex was far too freaked out to listen. Liam stepped forward and tried to calm him down, but it only served to freak Alex out more. Claire ran a hand through her hair as she gave an exasperated sigh.

"Please Alex, let's talk about this," Liam pleaded. Claire placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him farther away from Alex who had managed to shove himself into a corner and fallen into the fetal position.

"Let me talk to him. Go get breakfast," Claire instructed. Liam gave Alex one last longing look before nodding and heading back into the cafeteria.

"Thank you so much for getting rid of him!" Alex yelled, jumping to his feet and clinging to Claire. She could feel his eyes trailing after Liam's form. Once he'd disappeared into the mass getting breakfast, Alex pulled away and stared into Claire's eyes.

"I had sex with Liam," he stated in a panicked voice.

"Yes, we've been over this already," she snapped, getting tired of his ridiculous behavior. Alex nodded as he fell back into the wall.

"I had sex with Liam… and I think I liked it…" Claire paused and her eyebrows raised.

"You… liked it?" she asked. He nodded and ran a hand over his face.

"What the fuck is wrong with me? I'm not gay!" he said. Claire sighed and walked up to him.

"Alex… maybe, maybe Liam is different. Maybe it's not that your gay, you just like Liam, or something." She said, trying to reason with him.

"What do I do?" he asked.

"Talk to Liam. I know it's weird, but if there was something… is something… then work it out." Alex gave a frustrated sigh and began to smack his head against the wall.

"I hate this! I wanted to get laid, but not by Liam! Or… maybe I did… I just. GOD!" Claire sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Alex, go to your room, get some sleep. I'll cover your shift. Just think about what happened and how you feel about it. Then talk to Liam when you've got it figured out. Okay?" she asked. He paused.

"This is so frustrating!" he muttered. She nodded and patted his shoulder.

"If it makes you feel better, my ass hurts." He scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Dude, you're preaching to the choir. My ass has been hurting for like forever and a day," he told her. She paused and ran a hand through her hair.

"A little too much, Alex…" he nodded.

"I know… I'm going to bed," he said. He sighed and walked down the hallway, and she walked back into the cafeteria, sitting back down at her seat.

"Is everything alright?" Rupert asked. Claire shrugged.

"Is he royally pissed at me?" Liam asked.

"I don't know. He just… he needs some time to think," she told him.

"Okay…" he muttered. She went to take a sip of her coffee and almost coughed it back up.

"Ew, I hate cold coffee." Colleen, who was still wrapped in Ryan's arms, pushed her cup towards Claire.

"Mine should still be hot." Claire nodded a thank you in her direction as she began practically chugging down the coffee.

"So why aren't you suffering from any signs of being hung-over?" Liam asked, as he began playing with his food. Rupert shrugged.

"I don't know, I don't really get drunk," Rupert said, though nobody believed his story.

"Dude, you had more to drink than any of us here!" Ryan exclaimed, much to Colleen's dismay. She gave him a soft smack to the chest as she whimpered again. He mumbled a quick apology to her as he turned back to Rupert.

"I don't know what to say, I just… don't really get drunk. It's like a gift or something," He said. Claire finished her bagel and looked at the trio in front of her.

"I'm actually really glad I didn't go out with you guys. I might have ended up sleeping with Rupert," she said.

"I wouldn't have slept with you," Rupert said.

"Damn right," Ryan snapped. Claire rolled her eyes.

"What? Am I not hot enough?" she asked.

"I didn't say that, I just tend not to take advantage of drunk women. Especially ones who are dating my boss," he said. She paused and shrugged.

"Good point," she said.

"Ugh… I'm tired…" Liam muttered. Claire stood up and sighed.

"I have to get to work… do you want me to tell McCoy you're going to be late?" she asked. Liam sighed and stood up.

"No, I'll go with you," he said. Claire nodded and waited for him to get his things together.

"You think you can give me that instant hangover cure thingy you have?" Liam asked.

"You have an instant hangover cure? What the fuck, Claire?" Ryan hissed.

"Ryan, if you don't stop yelling… we're not having sex for a month…" Colleen hissed. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Bring me more coffee, and I'll think about it." Ryan rolled his eyes as he watched his sister head off to work. He looked down at his girlfriend and rubbed her back.

"Come on, we better get to work," he said. She gave a groan of protest but stood up.

"Today sucks," she muttered, walking out of the dining hall.

"I agree," Ryan said, getting up and giving Rupert a pat on the back. "Later…"

* * *

"Am I the only one who thought that last night was so totally worth it?" Claire asked as she began sorting through the boxes of new medical equipment. Liam sat on the other side of the room going through the medical logs from the previous day.

"No, but I just wish Alex would stop being a total spaz and just talk to me," he mumbled, obviously disgruntled. Claire sighed.

"Just give him some time. You're obviously pretty secure with your sexuality, but Alex has never even thought about being gay. He needs time to adjust," Claire explained, pulling out a box filled with hypo-spray canisters. Liam looked over.

"Jesus Christ, who ordered all of those!" Liam asked in shock from his spot across the room. Claire shrugged before pulling out another box.

"Wow… this is ridiculous!" She exclaimed as yet another box came into view at the bottom of the pile of boxes.

"Oh… um, that would be my personal box," McCoy said as he exited his office. Claire held out the three boxes of hypo-sprays and McCoy snatched them out of her hands. "Get back to work!" He barked. Claire returned to removing packets of gauze from inside the box.

"Knock knock." Claire turned around as her boyfriend's voice echoed through the empty sickbay. She smiled as he walked over and crouched down next to her. She currently was sitting on her legs on the ground, as to not give a show to everyone in sickbay.

"Hey, you here to see McCoy?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Maybe later, I came to see you first. Here, I brought you coffee," he said. She turned a little red and wrote a few things down on her chart.

"Oh my god, thank you so much!" she said, taking a sip of it then putting it down next to her. He nodded and began to absentmindedly play with her hair, which was in a French braid.

"Why do you always tie it back? I like it when you let it down," he said. She shrugged.

"It's getting pretty long, and it get's in my way if I leave it down," She explained. Liam shot her a look as her boyfriend continued to play with her hair.

"Why don't you cut it then?" he asked. She glanced at him.

"The last time I cut it was because Darren wanted me to," she explained. He looked confused before a look of realization came across him and he nodded. She went back to the equipment in front of her. During their dinner, they came across the subject of ex-boyfriends and girlfriends. It was then she told him the basics of what happened with Darren. She didn't tell him the details, but enough where he got the picture.

"So… I was thinking we should schedule that third date," he said. She nodded and took another sip of her coffee.

"I agree… we should do something for your birthday. I could cook you something if you'd like," she said. He shrugged, as if it was no big deal and just focused on her hair.

"I was thinking you could come to my place, we'll make pizza and watch a movie or something," he said.

"That seems oddly too comfortable for a third date," she muttered.

"Well… we've known each other for a while. Sure, we've only been dating for a bit, but we can't move on in our relationship if we aren't comfortable in it," he said. She turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

"Since when did you become and expert on relationships?" she asked. He chuckled and kissed the side of her head.

"Is it a date?" he asked. She nodded.

"It's a date." He smiled and kissed her lips. It was a quick, but sensual, kiss, and it kept her wanting more.

"I'll see you around," he whispered.

"Thanks for the coffee," she said. He gave a thumbs up and entered McCoy's office.

"Going to Kirk's place for his birthday, I hope you got him a nice gift," Liam said.

"I did, as a matter of fact," she defended.

"When did you have time to pick up sexy underwear?" he asked. She almost choked on her coffee and sent him a glare.

"No, it's not lingerie. You're such a pervert!" She snapped. Liam just chuckled as he walked up to where Claire was working. He flopped down on the ground next to her and swiped her coffee.

"So are you going to tell me what you got him?" He asked, as Claire quickly grabbed the coffee back. Liam pouted, but she ignored him.

"No… no, I think not. And if you try that shit one more time, you'll lose an eye," she warned him. Liam sighed as he let himself fall backwards on the blue carpet that covered sickbay. It was such a pain to get all the blood and vomit out of it sometimes.

"You're such a tease…" he mumbled, reaching his arms out as if he were making snow angels. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Shut up," She snapped. She paused what she was doing and looked at him. "Is that what you get your boyfriend for his birthday?" she asked.

"What? Being a tease? If it is he's been getting his present since he's known you," Liam said. Claire smacked his arm.

"No… the underwear, and I'm not a tease." Liam shrugged.

"You might have to ask Alex on that one. All my boyfriends just simply gave me a good time, if you catch my drift." Claire frowned.

"But… I don't want to have sex with him," she whispered.

"Honey, you can't even fool yourself on that one," Liam told her. She rolled her eyes.

"I want to have sex with him, but not for a while," she said. Liam rolled his eyes.

"I don't know Claire… like I said, ask Alex." As if on cue, the doors opened and Alex walked in. Both Claire and Liam froze as he walked over. He cleared his throat and looked to Claire.

"Can I talk to Liam… alone?" he asked. Claire nodded and stood up, taking her coffee to find something else to do. Liam sat up and Alex shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"I'm not gay," he stated, refusing to meet Liam's gentle brown eyes. Liam slowly rose to his feet, but Alex never even looked up.

"I never said you were," Liam said, softer than he usually spoke. It was a sensitive topic and despite what people around the _Enterprise _knew, Liam really was a sensitive guy. Alex on the other hand…

"I-I don't like penis and I'm not big on sleeping with men," Alex continued, his eyes still glued to the navy colored rug. Liam sighed.

"That normally goes along with not being gay, sweetie." Alex audibly gulped at Liam's pet name, but he continued on.

"I know, it's just that… I don't really mind sleeping with you… or your penis…" Alex mumbled. Liam smiled.

"You know, I was hoping for something a little more romantic like 'but you're the exception' or 'but I can't help my feelings for you'. However, you liking my penis is a good start, I suppose," Liam said with a smile. Alex let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm… not big on romance. But… I guess trying this out wouldn't be… as bad as it seemed. Let's just keep it on the down low for now," he said. Liam smiled and resisted the urge to hug him.

"Okay… so…" Alex sighed and gave a small smile.

"I need to get to work," he said.

"I need to actually ask Claire how her date went," Liam said. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't ask her already?" Alex asked.

"I was a bit preoccupied with you, but I can ask her now," Liam said. Alex turned a little red and gave an awkward cough.

"Right, I'll talk to you later," he said. Liam nodded and kissed his cheek before running off. Alex sighed and rubbed his cheek.

"Bye Alex!" Liam called. Alex sighed an ran a hand through his hair.

"Jesus, what the hell is happening to me?" he muttered.

* * *

"Come on, babe. You have to eat something," Ryan pleaded, but the only thing he heard from the bathroom was more gagging. He'd been camped out by the door for at least thirty minutes and was going to be late for work if he didn't leave within the next five.

"I'm too sick!" Colleen called back, but her voice was harsh. Ryan rubbed the bridge of his nose as the possible options rushed through his head.

"Okay, I'm going to go get my sister and head to work. There's nothing I can do for you if you don't let me in," Ryan told her. There was silence on the other side. Giving a sigh of defeat, Ryan headed over to the computer screen in the corner of their room.

"Computer, call sickbay and get me Dr. Conaway," Ryan ordered. The computer made a few beeping noises and Claire's face popped up a minute later.

"Hello, this is Dr. Cona- oh, hey Ryan. What's up?" She asked, her tired face lighting up as her brother's face came into view. Ryan was less pleased.

"Claire, I'm really sorry to ask this, but Colleen's sick in the bathroom and I need to get to my post, like now. Think you can come down and check her out?" He asked. Claire nodded.

"Yeah, no problem. We've been a bit slow today, surprisingly. I'll be down there in ten," she replied. Ryan nodded.

"Thanks a bunch, Claire-bear!" He called as he shut the computer off and got ready to rush out of the room.

"Claire will be here soon, babe. I love you!" He called out before rushing out of the room.

* * *

Claire made her way to her brother and his girlfriends room and opened the door.

"Colleen?" She called. She sat her lying on the bed in a fetal position and she walked over. "Colleen? Jesus… are you alright?" Claire asked. Colleen shook her head.

"I'm so sick, ever since la few nights ago I've just been so damn sick," Colleen muttered. Claire frowned and sat down on the bed.

"It might be a bad reaction to the ale, or a flu… give me a second and I'll figure it out," Claire said. Before she pulled out her scanner, Colleen grabbed a hold o her hand.

"Claire… I want you to scan something else," Colleen said. Claire raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want me to scan for?" She asked. Colleen sighed and ran a hand over her face.

"I heard that… that if you drink Romulan ale and you're… pregnant, you can get really sick," Colleen said. Claire's eyes went wide.

"You're pregnant?" Claire asked. Colleen bit her bottom lip.

"I don't know… but I heard it might be a definite thing that if you get really sick after having some Romulan ale you might be pregnant," she pressed. Claire sighed and took a hold of her hand.

"Colleen, the chances of that are really rare. Usually that only happens in the late first trimester, early second. Even then it's rare that it effects the mother that way. Usually ale that strong usually… terminates the pregnancy," Claire told her. Colleen sighed and rolled over onto her back.

"Please… just take a look." Claire nodded and pulled out her scanner and began to check over her brothers girlfriend. A part of her was excited at the thought of Colleen being pregnant with Ryan's baby. She knew Ryan would be ecstatic, and she was a bit excited at the thought of being an aunt. On the other hand, having a baby was a big step, and she wasn't sure that it would be the best thing for either Colleen or Ryan right now. Claire put down her scanner and looked at Colleen, who was looking at her expectantly.

"Well?" Colleen asked. Claire sighed.

"You're sick because of your bodies reaction to the Romulan ale. The baby, surprisingly, seemed to make it through the episode, but I'd like to give you a flusher just to be sure," Claire said, going through her bag.

"Wait… I'm pregnant?" she asked. Claire nodded, not sure if she should've been happy or worried.

"Yes, you are. This flusher will go through your system and take out anything that will harm it. I don't know what damage has been done to the baby already… but it doesn't look like any major damage has happened. It should be fine," she said. Colleen stood up and placed her hand on her stomach.

"I'm… I'm going to have a baby," she whispered. Claire wasted no time before injecting the flusher into her system.

"Are you going to tell Ryan?" Claire asked. She didn't look up and meet her eyes, since she still wasn't sure her exact feelings on the situation.

"Of course, I just… I don't know when exactly I'm going to do it. I'm so excited! But really worried," Colleen said. She paused before throwing up in a trashcan next to her bed. Claire ignored the smell and began to breathe in through her mouth to avoid the smell.

"Great… now I think I'm going to be sick," Claire muttered. Colleen finished and laid back down on the bed.

"You're a doctor and you can't deal with vomit?" Colleen muttered.

"I can deal with blood and guts. I can deal with seeing vomit. It's the smell that gets me," Claire said. Colleen shrugged then smiled.

"I can't believe I'm pregnant," she whispered. Claire sighed and looked down at her brothers girlfriend.

"Are you sure that now is the best time?" Claire asked. Colleen raised an eyebrow.

"What are you saying?" Claire shrugged and looked down at her hands.

"I mean… you guys aren't married, and you both are in the middle of your jobs. It might be… difficult having a baby. Are you going to go back to earth and have the baby? Or stay here?" Colleen looked thoughtful for a moment before sighing.

"I don't know. I'll figure out something. What would you do?" Claire ran a hand through her hair.

"I don't know. The thought of having a baby scares the crap out of me," Claire answered.

"Why? You're twenty-three, and you have a great job, you're boyfriend is cute… why would you be worried?" Claire looked at her like she was crazy.

"Because I'm twenty-three! Oh, and have you met my boyfriend? I mean… he's great, but I would not be surprised if he went running for the hills at the mention of a kid. I'd run for the hills at the mention of a kid." Claire stopped and looked at the ground. She couldn't quite place her finger on it, but the talk of having kids was really bugging her.

"Sorry, I am really happy for you. I am. Ryan is going to be so happy, and so excited. You guy's will make a very cute baby." Colleen nodded.

"I hope he has Ryan's eyes. They're so expressive," Colleen said. Claire raised an eyebrow. Apparently grey was the new expressive color.

"Look… I have to get going. You can schedule an appointment with Doctor McCoy for some prenatal care stuff and-"

"Can't you be my doctor?" She asked. Claire froze and ran a hand through her hair.

"Well… I'm sort of a surgeon, I don't really do pregnancy stuff," Claire said.

"Please… I mean… you are the only female doctor here and… I trust you. Please?" Colleen begged. Claire sighed and pressed her lips together.

"I'll… I'll see what I can do. I'm not doing anything until Ryan knows about the baby though," Claire said. Colleen nodded.

"Thanks Claire." Claire smiled and grabbed her bag and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"No problem. I really need to be going though," Claire said.

"You have a date tonight or something?" Colleen asked, a smirk on her lips. Claire blushed and began walking backwards out of the apartment.

"Yeah actually, good luck with the whole… thing." Colleen chuckled.

"Good luck with you're date…" Claire paused and smiled widely, causing Colleen to raise an eyebrow. "What?" she asked.

"Told you that you'd get' knocked up before I did," Claire said, leaving the room before Colleen could reply.

* * *

She continued to mess with her hair as she stood in the lift. She decided to wear a black zip up hoodie and jeans, not letting any of her curves show through. If this was going to be a comfortable date, she was going to dress comfortable. In her pocket held a small box, where his present was being held. At first she debated just forgetting it, since it was a little corny, but brought it.

After her conversation with Colleen, she was having a hard time getting her mind to focus on the task at hand. One part of her, the larger part, was excited that her brother would be starting a family. She wanted to see his eyes when he found out that he was going to be a dad. He had gone through so much in his life, he needed something fantastic like this. On the other hand, the thought of any baby being around scared her. Sure she was great with kids, and she loved kids, but the thought of raising one, or helping to raise one, scared her beyond belief. She owed that all to her dear mother.

The doors opened, breaking her out of her thoughts, and she made her was down the hall and stopped at his door. She pressed the button and waited for him to answer. She briefly wondered if he would like her gift. She ignored that thought as she twirled a piece of her blonde hair in between her fingers and smiled when he opened the door.

"Hey, there you are, I was wondering if you were going to show," he said. He took a hold of her hand and pulled her into the room, pressing his lips on hers immediately. She smiled and pulled away.

"Sorry, I got a bit held up at work." He smiled and led her in further. She took a minute to gaze around his room. It was far larger than her own, and seemed to hold two separate rooms. One was a living room and office, the other she guessed was the bedroom. Hopefully she wouldn't see that for a while.

"I'm just about to have the generator make pizza… is there anything special you want on it?" he asked.

"One pizza, everything on it, extra cheese." Jim paused and chuckled.

"I knew there was a reason I was dating you," he said. She laughed and glanced around. It didn't seem like he held an value for art, or have any photos. There was a good amount of books on his shelf, plus a few magazines. Not to mention his desk was full with paper work and data pads.

"Here, you can sit on the couch, I'll just be a second." She nodded and sat down on the couch, admiring the size of the compartment before he came back and placed a pizza in front of them.

"Thank you," Claire said.

"No problem, I'm glad you came. It probably would've been a very lonely birthday if you didn't," he said. Claire smiled and let her hand rest in her pocket.

"I got you a present," she told him. He paused and raised an eyebrow, a smirk coming to his lips.

"Is it sexy underwear?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"No, I'll get that for your twenty-eighth birthday. You get this for your twenty-seventh…" she said, handing him a box. He raised and eyebrow and ripped the wrapping off of it.

"What it is?" he asked.

"It's a little corny… but I saw it while on shore leave and I thought of you." He opened the box and stared at it. It looked like a gold pocket watch, but he didn't think it was. On the front it looked like there was a picture of the _Enterprise_ on it, which made him chuckle. He opened it and found that it wasn't a pocket watch, but a compass.

"A compass?" he asked. She chuckled and shrugged.

"I read that old sea ship captains always had a compass on them. It was sort of symbolic. Read the inscription." He looked on the inside and raised an eyebrow.

"_Per Aspera, Ad Astra? _What does it mean?"

"Through hardships, to the stars." He chuckled and glanced at the back. It read _'James T. Kirk. Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise.' _He laughed and looked toward her.

"You were right, it is very corny." She blushed and shrugged.

"I thought you might like it. I know sexy lingerie would probably be better but-" She was cut off by his lips meeting hers, causing her to blush and give into the kiss. He smirked and pulled away, his face still only inches away from hers.

"Though sexy lingerie would be nice, this is perfect. Thank you," he said. She smiled and kissed him once more before pulling away.

"So… what movie are we watching?" Claire asked.

"A classic, the Dark Knight. Hope you're a Batman fan…" he said. Claire smiled.

"Duh, Batman rules. Who doesn't love a rich billionaire who risks his life to save people on a daily basis. Not to mention he's totally sexy," Claire said, grabbing a slice of pizza.

"Oh man, now I have competition," he said as he started the movie, grabbing his own slice. He leaned back on the couch and she leaned against him, getting comfortable almost immediately. He smiled at the thought and continued to eat.

"I wouldn't worry about competition. Batman might have billions of dollars, but you have your own starship," she said. He chuckled.

"Hard to beat that one." She nodded and they continued to watch the movie. Eventually the pizza was gone, and they went through a bottle of soda and simply enjoyed each others company. She moved so she had her back resting against his side and most of his chest.

"Why do you think we're so comfortable with each other?" Jim asked, playing with a strand of her long blonde hair. She shrugged and let her fingers trace over his arm and hand.

"I think… because we've known each other for a while. I mean, we weren't the best of friends before hand, but we were friends. We both know we are sexually attracted to each other, but we both want something more. I'm not really complaining," she said. He smiled and watched as her eyes suddenly became distant.

"Claire… are you alright?" he asked. She turned around slightly and forced a smile on her lips.

"Yeah, it's just a little weird. It's the third date and I already feel so close to you," she said. He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" she paused and looked down.

"A little, I'm mostly thinking about Ryan and Colleen," she confessed.

"What about them?" he asked.

"Well…" she trailed off. "If I tell you, it has to stay between us. Technically I'm not her doctor yet, so there isn't doctor patient confidentiality, but still."

"It's just between us," he said. She pressed her lips together before she spoke.

"Colleen is pregnant, which mean Ryan is obviously going to be a dad. It's just got me thinking," She said. He nodded and went back to playing with her hair. She went back to letting her fingers trail down his arm, and smiled lightly, watching a few hairs stand up on edge. Jim twitched as goose bumps appeared on his arm.

"That tickles a bit," he muttered, grabbing her delicate hand with his own. Claire closed her eyes, relaxing into him as his hands drew lazy patterns in her palm.

"This is all so weird and new…" she mumbled, enjoying the serenity that being with Jim brought. He leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead.

"So what're you thinking about then?" He asked. Claire sighed.

"Just about family stuff. Ryan and Colleen are going to be starting a family of their own, but I don't know… Ryan and I didn't have that great of a childhood…" Claire said, trailing off at the end. Jim waited to hear more, but she seemed to have gotten herself lost in a world of her own.

"Are you ever going to tell me about it?" he asked softly. She pressed her lips together and opened her eyes.

"I mean… if you want to hear it, it's not a pretty story," she said.

"I've got time," he whispered. She sighed and took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"My parents met when they were kids, both being children of rich business tycoons. At the age of seventeen, their parents set them up to get married. Since both of them were pretty much power hungry, they agreed. My mom said that she eventually learned to love my father, but I don't see how anyone could love someone they were practically forced to marry. About two years after they got married, they had Ryan.

"Of course they were ecstatic that they had a son, and pretty much doted on him all the time. Then I was born, and… things changed. My parents spent more time going out and working, leaving Ryan and I home a lot. So… in a way I never really knew my parents. I just knew that I was supposed do as I was told, and be the picture perfect daughter." Jim was silent as she watched him continue to trace patterns in her palm.

"When Ryan hit his teen years, he took it upon himself to take care of me. When I hit my teen years, I took it upon myself to party my ass off." Jim chuckled.

"You were a party animal?" he asked. She nodded and tangled her fingers in his.

"Pretty much. Of course my parent's hated it, and they hated the fact that Ryan just let me do it. Eventually Ryan began to rebel on his own, dating girls who our parents hated, refusing to go into the family business. They disowned them when he turned 18 and said that he wanted to join Starfleet. So they piled everything into me for two years, how to be a good wife, how to be a good hostess, how to take care of children. They were pretty much primping me to marry some business tycoon, only to be disappointed when I joined Starfleet as well. I think they blamed the whole thing on Ryan and still have some hope that I'll come home and just marry… Dustan? Or… Tristan… I can never remember," Claire said. Jim listened intently as Claire told him her story.

"Such loving parents you had," he replied, unsure of what else to say. Claire nodded as she rubbed her thumb against the side of his hand.

"Pfft, yeah. So all in all, our family kind of sucks. The way I look at it, Ryan is all the family I'll ever need," she said.

"There's nothing wrong with that. So why exactly did you join Starfleet then?" Jim asked. Claire pondered the question for a moment.

"I joined Starfleet to piss off my parents and to join Ryan, but I never really felt like I had a future in it until now." Jim withdrew his hand from hers and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I can't say that I'm complaining," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her neck. Claire leaned back, allowing him better access to her collarbone. His arms tightened around her waist and continued to move his lips against her neck. She sighed as she felt her skin heat up and she shifted slightly. He groaned as he felt her shift against him and moved his lips up to her jaw, nibbling lightly before pressing his soft lips against hers. She sighed and reached one hand up, intertwining it in his hair.

"Jim," she whispered when he pulled away to catch his breath. He smirked and kissed her once again, one hand reaching up to caress her cheek. She pulled away before he could deepen the kiss and gave his lips a light peck. He smiled and let his forehead rest against hers, ignoring the slightly uncomfortable position they were in.

"Happy birthday," she whispered. He smiled and kissed her forehead before letting his lips kiss a trail down to her lips, leaving a couple of light, but meaningful, kisses and leaned back. She allowed herself to lay back on his chest, letting her head rest right near his heart. She smiled when she heard it's steady beat.

"Claire…" he said.

"Yeah?" He paused as he ran a hand through her hair.

"I'm really glad you decided to join Starfleet…" he whispered. She smiled and took his hand in hers.

"I am too…"

* * *

Ryan walked into his quarters and put one of his many security updates on his desk. He took a glance around the compartment, trying to find his girlfriend, but not having any luck.

"Colleen?" He called.

"I'll be out in a second!" her voice called back. He nodded and took his shirt off, letting his skin breathe after a day trapped under the restricting uniform. Colleen walked out of the bathroom in her pajamas and walked over to him.

"Hey, are you feeling any better?" Ryan asked. Colleen nodded, but said nothing. Instead, she curled up next to Ryan, waiting as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Her eyes seemed distant, but a small smile worked it's way to her lips.

"I love you, Ryan," she whispered to him in a gentle voice, leaning up to capture his lips with her. Ryan smiled into the kiss as he ran his fingers through Colleen's damp blonde hair.

"I love you too, babe. Glad to see that you're feeling better too!" He said, as Colleen idly ran her finger down Ryan's bare chest. Ryan flinched at the touch at first, her finger freezing against his sweaty frame, but said nothing.

"We need to talk." At those words, Ryan froze. The four words that no man or woman ever wants to here from their boyfriend or girlfriend.

"O-Okay, let's talk," Ryan replied, his nerves alert for possible bad news. He was dreading the conversation about to take place. He thought that they were moving at a reasonable speed, but perhaps living together for a few weeks had turned Colleen off to him as potentially more than they were.

"Calm down, I'm not trying to break up with you or anything!" Colleen snapped, sensing Ryan's fear as his body was tense and his eyes filled with fright.

"Colleen… just tell me what's going on," Ryan said, not sure he could take the suspense.

"I'm pregnant." It seemed like time froze as the words sank in.

"You're… what?" he asked. She took his hands in hers and looked him in the eye.

"Ryan… you and I… we're going to have a baby," Colleen said. Ryan still looked frozen in his spot before he stood up and ran a hand through his hair.

"Shit, you mean…" She nodded.

"Ryan… are you alright?" he began walking back and forth in front of her, causing her to become worried.

"I'm… I'm fine. I'm… wow… I'm going to be a dad…" he whispered. He sat back down on the bed and looked at Colleen. "It is mine… right?"

"O-Of course! What are you trying to say?" she snapped, becoming really defensive all of a sudden.

"Nothing! I'm sorry, it's just… wow," he breathed. Colleen took his hand in hers and looked into his grey eyes, which were now sparkling with joy. God, she wished her baby had those eyes.

"Ryan, what are we going to do?" she asked. He sighed and pulled her into a hug.

"I don't know. Let's just enjoy the moment while we have it," he told her. She nodded.

"Okay," she replied. After a moment he smiled and held her closer.

"We're going to be parents," he whispered. Colleen laughed.

"I love you, Ryan… even if you are a dork," she said.

* * *

The annoying sound of beeping entered her ears, and she shifted slightly, trying to ignore it. Her pillow shifted and she could feel a groan emit from it, signaling that it was not a pillow. Claire sighed and snuggled into the warm chest even further.

"Computer, snooze," she heard Jims voice say, as he stifled a yawn. Jim used his free hand to ran a hand over his face and looked down, letting a small smile make it's way to his lips. Sometime during the night Claire had fallen asleep, and Jim soon followed after her. Now they were still in the position they were the night before, except now having a blanket lain over them. It surprised him how comforting being around her was, and he never would've thought in a million years he could be so close to a woman and not have the urge to jump her.

"Hmm." Jim smiled as she began to wake up, and let his fingers trace over her cheekbone.

"Good morning," he whispered. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up, her grey eyes meeting his immediately.

"Morning," she replied.

"You sleep well?" he asked. She sat up, being careful not to sit on him, or hit any valuable body parts. She ran a hand through her hair and yawned.

"Yeah… surprisingly. Did you sleep alright?" she asked, her voice was quiet, and she didn't seem to be all that into the conversation. Jim smiled at the fact she wasn't a morning person and let his fingers trace her cheekbone once more.

"I slept fine… do you want some coffee?" he asked. She paused and nodded, moving so she was laying back on the other side of the couch.

"Please," she muttered. He got up and stretched his back, causing a few audible cracks to echo through the apartment. Claire flinched slightly, but didn't say anything, just rubbed her eyes, trying to wake herself up. Jim got some coffee from the generator and handed her a cup.

"Careful, it's hot," he said. She blew on it lightly and took a sip, giving a small sigh of relief upon tasting the caffeine.

"Thank you," she said. He nodded and sat next to her, picking up her legs and draping them over his lap so he could sit closer to her.

"Do you have work this morning?" he asked. She thought about it for a second before shaking her head.

"No, I took the afternoon shift. Well, Liam wanted to take the morning shift, so Alex and I have the afternoon shift." Jim nodded and let his free hand rub her ankle.

"When did you take your shoes off?" he asked, remembering her wearing a pair of flats last night. She paused before she reached into the couch cushions and pulled out her black shoes.

"Kicked them off during my sleep," she answered. He chuckled and glanced at her toenails.

"You… you know your toenails are blue… right?" he asked. She laughed lightly and nodded.

"Liam did it, he wanted to paint little flowers on them, but he didn't have time," she said. He rolled his eyes and looked back up at her. Her hair was a mess, and her make-up was smudged a bit.

"Not much of a morning person, are you?" he asked. She raised an eyebrow.

"Did you ever think I was?" she asked. He just shrugged.

"I guess not, considering your dependency on coffee," he mumbled. Claire giggled and pinched his arm.

"Speaking of coffee, I hope you're prepared to get me at least another four cups," she said with a smile. Jim shrugged.

"It's the small price to pay for getting to cuddle with the sexiest girl on this side of the universe." Claire blushed as she leaned closer to him.

* * *

"I hate work. Morning shift, afternoon shirt, night shift, graveyard shift… I hate it all!" Claire grumbled as she lined up vials of test tubes to run through a machine. Alex peered over from the paperwork he was filling out.

"Testing blood really isn't the most exciting piece of work, I know, but it's not that bad," Alex said, pulling off the thin pair of glasses that were resting against his nose. Claire rolled her eyes at his comment, but did a double take as she caught sight of Alex.

"Since when did you get glasses?" Claire asked, gesturing to them as Alex rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"I've always had them, but I normally just wear contacts to work," he explained, turning back to his paperwork. Claire entered a few digits in the machine that the test tubes were in before making her way over to Alex's work station.

"So why are you wearing them today?"

"Well… Liam made an off-hand comment last night that I looked cute in my glasses…" Alex muttered, not even looking up. Claire couldn't hold back her laughter as the image of Liam gushing over Alex wearing his glasses.

"There are my two favorite people!" Liam cried out as he entered sickbay. Before Claire or Alex could reply, the lights throughout sickbay shut off. The machine processing the blood samples in the corner shut off with a beep. Claire's first instinct was that of fear and she lunged forward, grabbing onto Alex. Alex groaned at her weight as the emergency backup lights turned on. Every other light turned on and sickbay illuminated in an orange glow. After a moment Claire felt someone pull her off of Alex.

"Honey, you had your chance, he's mine now," Liam said. His tone was joking, but Alex rolled his eyes anyway.

"Sorry, I just… I'm not a fan of the dark," she explained. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"You're afraid of the dark?" Before either of them could say anything, McCoy marching into sickbay.

"What the hell did you three do?" he snapped. The three of them exchanged looks.

"We didn't do anything," Liam said. McCoy walked over and tried to access a computer, but it didn't seem to respond.

"I can't get anything on this thing… McCoy to Bridge…" the whole sickbay was quiet as they waited for a response.

"Nothing?" Nurse Chapel asked.

"Maybe you should get Claire to call. Kirk tends to come when she calls his name," Liam said. Claire turned around and smacked him in the shoulder.

"Jerk," she hissed.

"There must be something wrong with communications, Conaway, you're with me. We're going to see what's going on," he said.

"Why do I have to go?" she asked.

"Because if the lifts aren't working, I need someone small to climb through the ducts," McCoy said. Claire sighed and went to follow him out of sickbay, when the doors opened and a group of people walked in.

"Stop what you're doing and put your hands where I can see them!" A voice sounded through the sickbay. Claire froze and lifted her hands, following McCoy's example.

"What the hell is going on?" McCoy snapped.

"We're taking over the ship, my dear doctor," the man in the middle said. It took Claire a minute, but she recognized it as Captain Shay immediately, and froze.

"Oh shit," Liam whispered, causing Alex to look at him.

"Paul, you stay here and make sure we don't have any interruptions. Harry, grab a few people as hostages. If I know Kirk, he's already off of the bridge and looking for us." Paul nodded, and Harry moved forward.

"Well, well, well… if it isn't the fag…" Paul muttered with an evil smirk. Harry mimicked his smirk as he reached forward, a phaser ready in his right hand.

"Well it looks like we found the perfect hostage," Harry said, tugging Liam towards him. Liam squealed as the man's iron grip cut into the circulation of his arm. Alex twitched, seeing the look of pain cross Liam's face.

"Let him go!" He demanded, rage evident in his voice as Harry's phaser was thrust again the young doctor's head.

"Chambers…" McCoy warned, but Alex stepped forward anyway.

"Oh, you want me to let go of your boyfriend?" Harry asked in a playful tone, his finger tense against the trigger. Liam closed his eyes, refusing to watch his old friend's case all the drama.

"I think it's time for you to get the hostage out of here. I'll keep an eye on these four," Paul said, gesturing to Claire, McCoy, Nurse Chapel, and Alex. Alex clinched his teeth as Harry forced Liam out of the room, his phaser cold against Liam's trembling frame.

"I warned you…" Alex hissed, taking a wrestling stance. Paul laughed as he pointed his own phaser at Alex.

"And what are you going to do?" He asked with a sneer.

"He doesn't need to do anything!" A voice called from the door. Everyone turned their attention to Ryan who stood in the doorway to sickbay. Before Paul could turned around and fire at Ryan, a blue ray shot from the end of his phaser towards Paul. The blast hit Paul who fell to the ground, unconscious. He walked in and Claire ran up to him and hugged him.

"Thank God!" She cried.

"Where did they go?" he asked.

"They are heading to the bridge, they took Doctor Peterson with them," McCoy said.

"Alright, I can leave a security officer here with you, incase Paul wakes-" they heard the man begin to groan and Claire turned around and kicked him in the groin.

"Go get them and bring back Liam. If my gay boyfriend is hurt I'll kick your ass," Claire snapped.

"Okay, Ensign Lopez, stay with the doctors," Ryan said, turning around and running off. A Hispanic woman stepped forward and pointed her phaser at Paul, who was still groaning in pain.

"I can't believe he was able to wake up from a stun that quick, maybe you can sedate him or something," Ensign Lopez said. Claire smiled wickedly and crossed her arms.

"I have an idea," she said. McCoy walked over and placed a hypo spray in her hand.

"Bolian stomach flu… knock yourself out." Claire smirked and injected him with it.

* * *

Ryan continued to sprint down the hallway, his phaser in hand. He needed to get to the bridge immediately. If it really was captain Shay, and the rest of the crew, he could only imagine what trouble everyone was in.

"Going somewhere, Ryan?" Ryan froze upon hearing the familiar voice, and turned around.

"Griffin…" he said. Griffin pointed his phaser at him and smirked.

"Chief of Security… I didn't think you'd sink so low," he mumbled, taking a few steps forward. Ryan cleared his throat twice, a signal for Ensign Sheppard to fire when given the opportunity. Griffin noticed the cough and grabbed Ryan by the collar. "What did you tell him?" He snapped. Ryan said nothing as Griffin raised the phaser to his head. The tip of the gun was pointed against his temple, but Ryan didn't even flinch.

"You still think you're some hot piece of shit, don't you?" Ryan asked slowly, as calm as possible. Inside, he was mentally freaking out. Just hearing the name Griffin or seeing someone like him pass by in the hallways on the ship was enough to drive Ryan crazy on a normal day, but here he was, in the flesh.

"And you're still a rebellious little punk who needs to learn his place," Griffin snapped, taking the blunt side of his phaser and bringing down on his head. In one quick motion, Griffin whirled around and blasted Ensign Sheppard's phaser out of his hand. Ryan seized this opportunity to kick Griffin's knees. The older man howled in pain as his legs gave out. His body fell to the floor with a thud as Ensign Sheppard scurried to get to his phaser. Ryan jumped to his feet, a slight trail of blood flowing down the side of his harden face, and used the heel of his boot to stomp down on Griffin's wrist.

"Fuck!" Griffin cried out. Ryan fell to the ground and began punching him in face repeatedly, until Ensign Sheppard pulled him off.

"Sir, the rest of the crew has to be at the bridge," he said. Ryan stood up and nodded.

"He is not to get out of your sight, understood?" Sheppard nodded and watched as Ryan took off. He knew he would be back to beat the shit out of the man when he was done, or at least… he thought he would. David glanced down at the older man and lowered his Phaser.

"I wouldn't do that kid, my nose might be bleeding, but I can still take you," Griffin muttered.

"I have no doubt you could. I plan on you doing so," David said. Griffin raised an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked.

"You and I have a common enemy, or at least… our leaders do. I need you to escape, and in the process of doing this, I need you to make sure I'm badly beaten," David said.

"What? Are you on crack?" he asked.

"If I'm going to let you escape, I need you to draw blood, you damn imbecile," David snapped. Griffin paused, this was a very different man than he was used to.

"You can't just pass out?" He asked, standing up.

"No… I need something that will keep me in sickbay for a while." Griffin raised an eyebrow.

"And why is that?" Griffin inquired.

"Ryan isn't the only Conaway of interest on this ship…"

* * *

"You know… if you just put some highlights in your hair, you would look so much younger," Liam said. Captain Shay turned toward him and glared at him.

"Harry, shut him up. Honestly, the last thing I need is beauty tips from the damn hostage." Liam scoffed.

"And you wonder why you never got laid…" Harry leaned down and punched Liam as hard as he could in the stomach. Liam coughed violently as the blow was felt throughout his body. Tears began to form, but Liam blinked them away. Instead, he choose to keep his mouth shut. Harry resumed his stance next to the group of hostages with Dom and a few other members from the _Berlin_. Shay moved away from the hostages to the Captain's chair in the middle of the room where Captain Kirk was strapped down. His nose appeared broken and bent on an odd angle while a trail of blood leaked from his ear down his neck. A gag rag was pulled tight around his face and his eyes were heavy from exhaustion.

"I'm going to kill you right here in front of your crew," Shay whispered to him, using his phaser to force the captain to make eye contact with him.

* * *

"RYAN! WAIT!" Ryan paused and whirled around to find Alex trailing behind him.

"What? I thought you were back with Ensign Lopez and my sister?" Ryan asked, trying to regain his breath. Alex shook his head.

"I'm not going to let them have my boyfriend!" Alex declared, a phaser posed in his hand. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Your boyfriend?" Alex felt his face heat up, but there were more important matters to attend to.

"No time for the now, we need to get to the bridge, right?" Alex asked, sprinting past Ryan. He nodded and took off after Alex.

"Alright, here's the plan…"

* * *

"I have a score to settle with you, Captain," Shay whispered, placing a hand on Kirk's shoulder. His fingers dug deep without Kirk's flesh, causing him to flinch. Shay merely smiled. "This ends now…"

* * *

"How's your upper body strength?" Ryan asked as they gave up trying to force open the lift leading to the bridge. Alex turned to Ryan who was looking up.

"The air ducts?" He asked, puzzled by the head of security's question. Ryan just smiled.

"Bingo."

"Alright, let's do this!" Alex exclaimed as Ryan held out his hands for Alex to step up on. Alex pulled himself up and then held his arm down for Ryan to take. Ryan grabbed his hand and hoisted himself up.

"Move forward," Ryan said. Alex nodded and they inched forward.

"How do I know when I'm- SHIT!" A second later Alex fell through the ducts and onto a group of _Berlin _crew members. Ryan wasted no time sliding out and knocking a few phasers out of peoples hands. Alex was up in a second and was landing a punch across Harry's face.

"Touch my boyfriend again you-"

"ALEX!" Liam shouted. Alex rushed forward and wrapped his arms around Liam.

"Take a phaser and help me out before we get all mushy, okay?" Liam smiled and pecked Alex on the cheek before joining him in taking down the Berlin crew. Ryan heard the two of them reunite, but was too busy rushing over to untie Captain Kirk.

"Ryan, Shay is getting away!" Without another word, Kirk grabbed Ryan's phaser from his belt and shot the other captain point blank before he could escape.

"Son of a bitch, taking over my ship," Kirk hissed, standing up. His staggered slightly, falling into Ryan. Ryan grabbed the captain before he fell to the ground.

"Sir, my phaser wasn't to stun," Ryan said slowly. Kirk sighed and ran his free hand through his hair, trying to ignore the pain throughout his body.

"I know… Chekov, make sure that our ships functions are online soon…" Kirk ignored all the looks from his crew as Sulu approached him.

"Sir, most of the crew has escaped." Jim gave a frustrated groan and sat back down in his chair, the restraints that were formerly holding him down now lying limp on the ground.

"Damn… contact Starfleet, and sickbay, they're going to have a lot of work pretty soon," Jim said.

"Captain, I suggest you go yourself. Your injuries must be looked at," Spock said. Jim nodded.

"I'll go, let's just get everything settled up here first." Ryan picked up his phaser and began to leave. "Commander Conaway," Jim said.

"Yes Captain?" Ryan asked. Jim walked over to him and held out his hand.

"Good work, I'm glad you were here to help," Jim said. Ryan shook his hand and gave him an appreciative smile.

"Thank you sir," he replied. They remained locked in their handshake for a moment before Ryan pulled away. Kirk slipped his hands into his pockets as he starred at Ryan.

"Do you think your sister is okay?"

* * *

"Now this is entertainment!" Claire giggled as she watched Paul writhe on the floor in pain. Ensign Lopez merely smiled down at the man in pain. Nurse Chapel had left the room, concerned with the treatment of their "hostage" while McCoy just watched with an indifferent look.

* * *

"Yeah, I'm sure she's fine. I left one of my top ensigns with her and McCoy. Now I have some business to attend to," Ryan informed him. Jim nodded and glanced and went back to his crew. Ryan made his way down the hall to where he left Griffin and Ensign Sheppard, only to see his Ensign in a bloody mess on the ground.

"Damn," he hissed, kneeling down and checking to make sure he had a pulse.

"Holy shit… what happened?" Liam asked. Ryan looked over and saw Alex lean down next to him, checking over his vitals.

"He needs to get to sickbay, now. Claire might need to perform surgery on him," Alex said. Ryan didn't respond as he suddenly took off down the hallway, as if he could find Griffin by doing that. He must have gone across the ship before he finally gave up. Griffin was gone, and only Ensign Sheppard knew what happened.

"God damnit!" he hissed, punching the wall. He hated how just when everything seemed to be working out for him, shit like this happened. He straightened himself up and went searching for the one person who he knew would be able to calm him down.

* * *

"Did you fix him?" Alex asked when Claire got out of surgery. Claire nodded and threw her gloves away.

"Yup, poor guy. I guess Griffin really must've kicked his ass," Claire said.

"Who is Griffin?" Annalisa asked. During the couple of hours where Claire and Ensign Lopez were stuck together, they had seemed to hit it off. She was still assigned to protect the sickbay, so she was stuck with the doctors a little longer.

"Some creeper who is obsessed with my brother."

"I hope Ryan is alright, he sort of just… took off," Liam said.

"He probably just went off to find Colleen," Claire told them. Before Alex could say anything, the doors to sickbay opened and Jim walked in, practically leaning on Spock for support.

"Hey Claire, you look nice today," he said with a smile, though his shirt was drenched in blood as his nose and ear leaked with the crimson liquid.

"Right from one surgery to another," McCoy said with a smirk, watching as his 'apprentice' worked. Claire sighed.

"Hey Jim, let's get you over to the medical table," Claire said, gesturing to a table next to where Ensign Sheppard was fast asleep.

"Want some help?" Liam asked, but Alex tightened his gripped around the smaller man's waist. Claire took that as a sign that she should fly solo.

"I'm fine, but thanks. Why don't you go tend to the cut on your boyfriend's arm?" Liam looked down to see an small blood stain on Alex's uniform.

"OH MY GOD! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING, BABY! Let's go fix this up quick!" Liam exclaimed, practically dragging Alex into a back room. Claire didn't expect to see them for at least another hour.

"Now back to you…" Claire trailed off, taking a good look at her boyfriend. She winced as she saw the damage done to his nose.

"It's always about me," Jim said with a smile. Despite the blood covering his body, he still managed to make Claire's heart race.

"No babe, it's always about me. I'm just nice enough to let you get some attention every once in awhile," Claire told him, taking her scanner out to make sure he didn't have any internal damage. Jim reached a hand up to cup Claire's cheek as he leaned over and captured her lips.

"Jim, cut it out. Let my doctor work," McCoy scolded. Jim sighed and let his forehead rest against hers.

"Bones…" Claire pulled away and stuck him with some morphine.

"He's right, you need to be checked," she said. Jim sighed as the morphine began to kick in. She checked his head and sighed in relief as there was no internal damage. She quickly cleaned the cut near his ear, and glanced at his shoulder. She frowned at the amount of damage this man seemed to take on a daily basis.

"I'm fine… my face isn't damaged… is it?" he asked. Claire rolled her eyes and focused on his nose.

"This is going to hurt, grab a hold of the bed frame," she said. He lazily did as he was told, and grabbed onto the frame just as she snapped his nose into place and stuck him with something to fix his nose up.

"HOLY SHIT! Fuck," Jim muttered. He went to grab a hold of his nose but Claire grabbed his wrists, stopping him from touching it.

"I know it hurts, I'm going to give you more morphine in a second… but you need to breathe babe," She told him. He began to breathe through his mouth and let out a small groan when she injected him with morphine.

"Damn, that hurt," Jim said.

"The morphine will kick in a second. I'm going to look at your ear," Claire said. She took a step forward and began to scan his brain. The morphine must have kicked in quicker than she thought because he leaned forward and rested his head on her shoulder. She gave a heavy sigh and tried to scan his head while he was like this.

"You smell… Hmm, so good," Jim muttered. She turned red and tried to ignore his hand resting on her waist.

"Jim, I'm trying to examine you," she said. She could practically feel the smirk in her shoulder.

"You can examine me all you want," he said into her neck. She pulled away and gave him another shot, causing him to flinch.

"Jesus, Jim… how is it that you seem to find a way to get the shit kicked out of you every time something like this happens?" she asked, inspecting his shoulder.

"I live on the edge, HA!" Claire rolled her eyes and cleaned out his wound.

* * *

"Colleen!" Ryan cried out, trying to regain his breath. Throughout all the hustle and bustle of being attack, Ryan hadn't even checked to see if his girlfriend was alright.

"I'm in the shower, babe," Colleen called back from the bathroom. Ryan sighed as he leaned against the wall and waited. She was fine, thank god. If something had happened to her… or the baby… Ryan felt his blood boil at the thought of Griffin trying something to hurt his family. Just imaging the smug look on the brunette's face caused Ryan to clench his fists until his knuckles turned white and his fingernails sliced through the skin of his palms. He felt someone put their hands on his shoulder and jumped slightly.

"Ryan… what's wrong?" she asked. Her hair was soaking wet, and she wore nothing but a towel. He unclenched his fists and placed his palms on her cheeks, keeping her face in place.

"You're okay, god I was so worried that…" He trailed off.

"Ryan, you're bleeding… what happened?" she asked softly. He ignored the sudden pain in his head, reminding him that he was indeed hurt.

"Griffin… Shay… all of them were here," he said.

"Are you alright?" she asked. He shook his head and pulled her close to him. She said nothing as her body practically molded into his.

"I thought… god if he would've found you…" Colleen pulled away and placed a hand on his cheek.

"It's okay, I'm fine. I'm here, I'm fine and the baby is fine too…" she whispered. He nodded and pulled her closer to him.

"I hate him, I hate him so fucking much," he whispered. She nodded and let him hold her for a minute longer.

"Ryan… we need to get you to sickbay, Claire has to look at that head wound," Colleen said, trying to pry Ryan's arms away. Ryan let go reluctantly. Colleen disappeared into the bathroom and emerged a minute later in her knock around clothes. Ryan hadn't moved from his spot, his eyes tired and appeared glazed over.

"If he had hurt you…" Ryan mumbled as Colleen intertwined their hands. She felt a small layer of blood coating his hand, but ignored it. Ryan was in no good mental state.

"Let's just get down to sickbay and let your sister take a look at you, okay? Then you can tell me everything that happened and I promise that I won't go anywhere," Colleen whispered soothingly into his ear. Again, Ryan was silent as Colleen gently lead him out of their room. Mindlessly, he allowed himself to be dragged through the many corridors of the ship until finally the familiar door to sickbay came into view.

"Well, well if it isn't Mr. Hero himself!" Alex said happily as Colleen tugged Ryan into sickbay. Ryan glanced over to see Liam sitting on Alex's lap and Alex's arms tightly wrapped around his lover's waist. They looked happy without a care in the world. For a moment, Ryan envied them.

"Not now, guys. Come on, babe," Colleen said, slowly guiding Ryan over to where Claire was working on Jim as McCoy and Ensign Lopez left to discuss possible upgrades to security in sickbay. Claire looked up as Colleen cleared her throat.

"Hey Colleen, hey Ry. Ow, looks like you got roughed up a bit yourself," Claire said, gesturing to Kirk's wounds. As soon as her brother didn't answer, Claire realized that something was up. She shot a look over at Colleen who motioned to his head. Claire nodded.

"He needs someone to look at his wounds," Colleen said. Claire nodded and stuck Jim with one last thing before turning toward him.

"Here, I'll take him to the back room… being around so many people can't be helping him," Claire said. Colleen nodded and stayed put.

"I'm… I'm going to sit here," she said. Claire nodded, knowing that Colleen was a little scared to see her boyfriend like this, and she just needed a minute to collect herself. Claire led him to a bed and sat her brother down, making sure he was comfortable before pulling out her scanner. It was a little nerve wrecking to see her brother like this again, and could only hope that he would be able to break out of his funk soon. She pulled out some gauze and began to clean his head wound, causing him to flinch and hiss.

"Damn…" he snapped.

"Sorry… I forgot to tell you it was going to sting," she said. He looked up, and his grey eyes met hers. She almost froze when she saw the amount of pain that seemed to fill them. "Ryan…"

"Griffin was here… he was so close to everyone, and I didn't stop him. I had him, he was as good as back in jail… maybe dead. Then he just escaped. He's still out there Claire, he can come back and…" he trailed off. Claire put her supplies down and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Things like this happen Ryan, there is nothing you can do. This isn't your fault, you had a duty to your ship, to your officers. You did what you had to do," she said.

"He'll come back, and it won't be just me he'll be after. He'll go after Rupert, for being my friend. He'll hurt Colleen and the baby. He'll even try and hurt you. I can't let him do that, it'll kill me," He whispered. Claire frowned and took his hands in hers.

"He isn't here, none of us are hurt… too badly. Things in life happen Ryan, we can't control them, we can only roll with the punches. Nothing is going to happen to any of us, Griffin isn't going to hurt anyone. Griffin is going to be caught one day, and he will be punished. You will be with Colleen, raising your baby, being a daddy… and you won't worry about him or anyone else. You just have to push through, okay?"

"Claire…" he paused before he pulled her into a hug, tears falling out of his eyes. Claire just rubbed his back and let him cry on her shoulder, something she used to do on his shoulder all the time. After a minute he pulled away and took a deep breath.

"Better?" Claire asked. He nodded and ran a hand through his hair.

"Sorry… it's just… all this scares the shit out of me," he said. Claire nodded and grabbed her gauze and finished cleaning the cut on his head.

"Life is scary," she muttered. He nodded and looked down.

"I wish I could find the right words to tell you why this bugs me so much. If feels like I have so much on my chest, but nothing to say. Griffin just… he makes me crazy and I hate it!" Ryan declared, clenching his fists again. Claire noticed it and grabbed his wrist.

"Stop. Stop doing this to yourself!" She snapped as his whole hand relaxed. He sighed and leaned back against the pillow on the medical bed.

"I'm sorry…" he mumbled, closing his eyes. Claire sighed and took a seat next to his bed.

"Look Ry, I know that this is killing you, but you need to get over this. You can't let it hold you back for the rest of your life. If you ever need to talk, you always have Colleen, Rupert, and me," Claire told him. He nodded and sighed again.

"It's funny, because I'm supposed to be the older brother holding his little sister while she cries. Not the other way around," he said. She chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it. You've been there for me plenty of times, it's the least I could do," she told him. He nodded and they sat in a silence for a moment.

"So… am I going to die or something?" he asked. She chuckled and shook her head.

"No, but your ensign almost did," she said. He raised an eyebrow.

"Lopez?" he asked.

"No… Sheppard," she answered. He frowned and his eyebrows furrowed. Claire noticed his sudden face and raised and eyebrow. "What?"

"I just… I don't like him. I mean, I know he helped with Griffin but…" he trailed off. Claire waited for an answer but got none.

"Ryan?" she asked. He sighed and shrugged.

"It's probably nothing," he muttered. Claire stood up and pulled a bandage out an stuck it on his forehead.

"There, you're all better. You should probably go get some rest," She said, helping him to his feet.

"Yeah, you should too," she sighed and shrugged.

"I have a post op, and I have to make sure Jim isn't tripping too bad on the morphine. Oh, and thanks to your girlfriend I'm now in charge of her prenatal care. There is no sleep for me anytime soon," she snapped. Ryan raised his eyebrows.

"Why would you agree to be her doctor if you're going to be like that?" He snapped back. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Because she's your baby's momma and she's really sweet. How can you say no to that?" Claire told him.

"I never can," he replied quickly.

"You're pussy-whipped," she mumbled. He shrugged.

"How can I say no to her when she's all ready and eager and hot and…" Claire's hand shot out and covered her brother's mouth.

"Please don't finish that sentence…" She said as she scrunched up her face at the mere thought of her brother's sex life. He rolled his eyes and walked with her back to sickbay.

"I guess I should get going, I have a report and all to write," he said. She nodded.

"Yup, and I have… work," she answered. He gave her a quick hug before ruffling her hair and walking over to Colleen. Claire tried to fix her hair and walked up to ensign Sheppard, who was still out cold.

"It's just you me and Jim tonight buddy," she said softly. There was no answer except the sound of his heart monitor beeping.

* * *

Ryan gave a heavy sigh as he laid down next to his girlfriend. She was fast sleep and her hand was resting on her stomach, her stomach where their small child was now growing. He smiled at the thought and put his hand on her stomach as well. He was going to be a father soon, with the woman he loved. Something seemed to be missing, however, as he laid next to Colleen.

His eyes landed on her ring finger, which laid barren and naked. He knew immediately what was missing. He didn't just want to have a baby with Colleen, he wanted to be with her, forever. He was close to being twenty-five, and most of his friends back on earth were already married, or in a committed relationship. He wanted that. He smiled and leaned down to kiss her stomach lightly, then her finger.

"Ryan?" Colleen asked. Ryan smiled and moved up so he could kiss her lips.

"I love you, Colleen… I love you so much," he whispered. She smiled and kissed him back.

"I love you too… you alright?" he nodded and laid down next to her, pulling her close.

"I'm fine… I'm going to be fine," he said.

* * *

"Doctor Conaway?" A voice asked. Claire turned around and forced a smile on her face as she saw ensign Sheppard sit up in his bed.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked, picking up his chart.

"A little groggy… what happened?" he asked.

"The ship was under attack. I'm assuming you were attacked by someone. You had a minor bone fracture and some head injuries. I took care of your fracture and injury and you should bee good to go soon," she told him. He gave her a weak forced smile. Claire didn't notice as his uncasted hand reached out and grabbed own. Her body was jerked down at his strong grip and her grey eyes starred into his cold brown eyes.

"I think I owe you one…" his whispered in what she guessed was an attempt at a seductive tone, but instead, she flinched. His whisper was harsh and slightly frightening.

"No really, that's fine. Just doing my job," she replied, trying to pull her hand away and back as far back as possible. He held on for a moment longer before he let her go and she practically slammed her charts next to him and gave an awkward cough as she began to give him some medicine.

"You're really pretty, you know that?" Claire rolled her eyes, suddenly getting really annoyed with him.

"Thank you, but I'm seeing someone," she snapped. He raised an eyebrow.

"Who?" he asked. She shot him a look.

"That's a little personal, Ensign," she hissed. He paused before looking down.

"I apologize, it must be the morphine," he said. She watched him for a second before writing a few things on his chart.

"Must be. You should be fine by tomorrow," she said.

"Out so soon?" he asked.

"I'm good at what I do," she answered. He smirked.

"I have no doubt," he said. There was something about his tone that made her pause and suppress the uneasy feeling in her stomach. She placed his chart down and walked up to the medical station, ignoring Alex, who was having a mini argument with Liam about his arm.

"You alright, Claire?" Claire looked over and offered Liam a smile.

"Yeah, just tired. I sent Jim to her quarters earlier tonight and now I'm stuck with ensign creeper," she said.

"Ensign Creeper?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, the dude started hitting on me out of the blue. Forget the fact that I have a boyfriend, he's just plain creepy," Claire said.

"You want me to rough him up for you?" Liam asked.

"And have him spend more time in sickbay? No thank you," she snapped. Alex gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"If he bugs you anymore, just let me know," Alex told her. Claire paused for a moment before chuckling.

"Ever since you two started going out, you guys are so different. Liam has a new interest in violence and Alex actually has feelings," Claire said with a giggle. The two men exchanged looks before turning back to her.

"I don't have feelings. I'm muscular and sexy and violent… and not like him!" Alex said, pointing to Liam. Liam rolled his eyes.

"I happen to be very sexy, thank you very much. I just have the very special skills of making him a bottom," Liam explained with a smirk. Alex's face turned a bright red color as Claire burst out laughing.

"Jesus Liam, she didn't need to know that," he snapped. Claire laughed once more before placing her charts on the other side of the counter.

"You guys are so cute together," Claire said.

"So are you and Kirk, you two will make gorgeous babies," Liam said. Claire flinched at the thought and sat on the counter.

"Yeah, well you two will drive your children crazy, just for the record," Claire told them.

"We're not having kids," Alex said. Liam raised an eyebrow.

"Say what?" he asked. Claire paled when she realized this was going to start an argument.

"Guys, it's not big deal, you've only been dating for like a week… you can worry about kids later," she said. Both men nodded, but were silent.

"So… did you and Kirk have a good time last night?" Liam asked.

"We had pizza and watched a movie, nothing big," she said.

"Sounds boring," Alex muttered. Claire paused before she looked over at McCoy's office to see him passed out.

"You think you guys could cover me? I want to go and get some sleep," she said.

"Sure, go get some rest. We'll take care of Ensign creeper," Liam said. Claire chuckled and jumped off the counter.

"Thanks, I'll see you guys tomorrow," she said, leaving sickbay and going to get some sleep.

* * *

"THIS IS HORRIBLE!" Claire awoke with a start, flinching as the bright lights burned her tired eyes.

"What now…" Claire mumbled, rubbing away the last bits of sleep from her eyes. She looked up just to see Liam practically tripping over himself to get into her room.

"What do you know about allergies?" He asked as he tried to regain his breath. His breath was erratic and his eyes were full of distress.

"What happened?" She asked, getting to her feet. Liam grabbed her arm and yanked her out of the room. Claire felt her blonde hair whip past her head as they sprinted down the halls to sickbay.

"It's Alex…" Claire and Liam stopped just short of plowing into what looked like a balloon version of Alex.

"Holy… what the… what…?" Claire couldn't find the words to describe what she was thinking. Liam grabbed the balloon-like hand of Alex and frowned.

"We were just sitting here, enjoying a quick snack when Alex's face began swelling up like this. What do we do?" Claire ran a hand through her hair and sat him down on a bed. She paused as she looked over him and crossed her arms.

"Okay, what did you eat?" she asked.

"He just had some pudding, and some milk. You think he's allergic to milk?" Liam asked. Claire paused and shook her head.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was the pudding," she said, going to the medical cabinet and grabbing a hypo spray.

"Udding?" Alex asked. Claire walked over and stuck him with the spray and watched as the swelling began to go down.

"Yeah, you are having a allergic reaction to the pudding," Claire said, writing a few things on his chart.

"How can he have a reaction to pudding? He eats it all the time," Liam said. Claire turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

"And you're a doctor?" she asked.

"How did it happen?" Liam asked. Claire sighed and put his chart down.

"Repeated exposure to something can cause the body to develop an allergy to it. He's eaten too much pudding. You're going to have to avoid it now," Alex frowned.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Claire ran a hand through her tangled hair and shook her head.

"No, I'm not. So don't eat pudding and find a new dessert," she muttered. She walked up to the medical station, Liam right behind her.

"So, he's going to be okay?" Liam asked.

"Yes, he's going to be-"

"Doctor Conaway." She turned to whoever cut her off, an tried to hide the look of disgust.

"Ensign Sheppard, can I help you?" she asked.

"No, just wanted to compliment you on your lovely outfit," he said. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked down, suddenly turning a deep scarlet. In Liam's hurry to get her out of bed, she hadn't had any time to change out of her pajamas. So now she was standing in sickbay in nothing but her boy shorts and a tank-top.

"LIAM!" she cried. Liam rolled his eyes.

"Go get changed. Sheppard, get back to your bed right now or I'll have McCoy on your ass," Liam warned. Claire stormed off as Ensign Sheppard trudged back to his medical bed. Liam sighed and turned back to his boyfriend.

"You know, you still look pretty sexy even if you are a bit chubby," Liam said with a wink. Alex groaned.

"Liam, please just shut up…"

_

* * *

_

And we have some reviews.

_**SWfangirl21  
**__**Raxsah: **__We're not very good with the subtle foreshadowing. We're going to have to work on that. I'm glad you liked it though. The Alex/Liam pairing is one of my favorite. Well… next to Jim/Claire. Yeah, Jim might be OOC, but at this point, it's too late to go back and fix him. We're glad you like Rupert, just wait a few more chapters, we'll give you a nice British surprise.  
__**Jeck: **__Hear that Raxsah? We've officially got ourselves another fan girl! That makes me happy… Liam and Alex are definitely my favorite couple (right now… :3). Jim and Claire is Raxsah's thing. Trust me, there's more stuff around the corner to shock, surprise, and please. ;)_

_**Lilly Romanov  
**__**Jeck: **__We're either day makers or ball breakers. The virgin date was mainly Raxsah, so she deserves all the credit for that one. And yes, Liam and Alex are freaking amazing. Expect more in the future!  
__**Raxsah: **__Much more! Yes, I don't know if there is such thing as a virgin date, but it sounded like a good idea at the time._

_**Sophia Gray  
**__**Raxsah: **__Don't you love those morning reactions. When you get drunk, wake up the next morning and realize that prince charming don't look so charming anymore. Sucks dude.  
__**Jeck: **__Or if you're too hungover to actually care. Or wait… maybe that's just me…_

_**LuciansLycanNightShade  
**__**Jeck: **__I stopped questioning my sanity a long time ago. I just roll with the punches now. But I'm glad you're enjoying the story. We aim to please (actually, no we just write to write…). Everyone seems to love Alex and Liam so far though. It pleases me. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__I still think I'm somewhat sane… somewhat. I'm glad you like the story. I also am glad that we have a lot of Liam/Alex supporters. Especially since I was at first hesitant about them. I love them now though, they are my fave gay couple._

_**amberhathaway  
**__**Raxsah: **__I am aware of the lack of good Kirk/OC. I'm glad you think ours is good. Means we're not horrible writers. We shall try to update as soon as we can.  
__**Jeck: **__SUCCESS!  
___

_**Jeck: **__And that concludes another round of us responding to the reviews. What more replies? Well, we need more reviews first. Keep up the love!  
__**Raxsah: **__LOVE US! Because we don't sound desperate enough. Hahahahaaa. In reality, reviews just help us know how our readers see the story. That way if we are doing something wrong we know it and can fix it.  
__**Jeck: **__Maybe. If it's like really bad. For example, if you don't like Liam and Alex together or Jim and Claire together and you'd prefer Alex and Claire to get together, then suck my non-existent balls.  
__**Raxsah: **__Ouch… and Alex and Claire were together… for a short non existent-ish time. Blah, anyway, if you want something like that then be the fiftieth reviewer.  
__**Jeck: **__We haven't even hit 40 yet, so keep those reviews a-coming and we'll keep the updates a-coming.  
__**Raxsah: **__Till next time!_


	15. Bullet with Butterfly Wings

_**Jeck: **__Miss us? I bet you did!  
__**Raxsah: **__We know this is a little soon. But since we're both hanging out, we figured we'd post this. We're gonna try and post as much as we can before College and all starts.  
__**Jeck: **__Which is in less than two weeks for me and September for Raxsah. So yeah, not much time left. Once college starts, updates might be longer and farther apart.  
__**Raxsah: **__We might have to combine chapters. However, once we both get settled in, we can figure out a schedule to talk/write/post.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, but who knows how long that'll take. My roommate and I might be boinking each other's brains out. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah if you don't kill each other first. We all know how much you love your room mate. Hahahahaaa.  
__**Jeck: **__She's hot and my complete opposite. Let's see how much fun we have. ;) Anyway, we should probably get this started now…  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, thanks to all the people who added this to their favorites and alerts list. We're glad you like the story.  
__**Jeck: **__We're closing in on 50 reviews now, so let's step it up now.  
__**Raxsah: **__Word! Just everyone go for it. We might even have a prize at the end for the most reviewed. Maybe… ENJOY!_

* * *

Chapter 15: Bullet with Butterfly Wings

* * *

"An away mission?" Colleen asked as she ran a brush through her long blonde hair. She had just finished straightening it. Ryan poked his head out of the bathroom door, a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.

"Dats what I dold yew," he said as a small trail of white toothpaste rolled down his chin. Colleen giggled as she rose from her bureau and crossed the room.

"Go finish brushing your teeth and then come out here," Colleen instructed him. Ryan's head disappeared from the doorway as Colleen began strapping on her boots. She was almost ready to head off to work when Ryan reappeared.

"Like I was saying, Kirk needs me to be on an away mission today. We'll probably be gone for a day or two," Ryan explained to her as he pulled his security uniform jacket on. Colleen sighed.

* * *

"I don't see why I have to go," Liam muttered, finishing up his dessert.

"Oh shut up. You have a chance to be on an away mission and- Alex I swear to god, you take one bite of that pudding and I will chain you to a bed!" Claire snapped.

"Sounds kinky," Alex muttered. Before Liam could smack him, Ryan did, causing Alex to give a groan of pain.

"Damn, that hurt," he muttered.

"I'm not sure I want you to go. Especially if there are Klingons down there," Colleen said. Ryan shrugged.

"Don't worry. Kirk said that we have to make sure that Captain Wallace and his crew can set up a security base. Plus, I have ensign Lopez covering me," Ryan said.

"How is Anna doing? I see her during dinner a bit, but I haven't really talked to her," Claire said.

"Anna?" Ryan asked.

"Uh, yeah… Anna Lopez," Claire said.

"Oh, she's fine," he said. Claire rolled her eyes and looked to Colleen, who looked a little pale.

"You alright?" Liam asked.

"Morning sickness, when will it be over?" Colleen asked, looking at the three doctors.

"It usually lasts through the first trimester. You have a while," Alex said. Colleen frowned and Ryan wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Don't worry babe, I'll take good care of you before I leave," Ryan whispered. Everyone at the table frowned until Liam turned to Alex.

"I better get taken care of before I leave. I don't think I'll be able to last three days without you," Liam said. Alex smiled.

"I'm going to miss you too," he said, but Liam frowned.

"I can't believe we're going to deny my penis…"

"Liam, stop talking or I will force feed Alex pudding," Rupert snapped, sitting down next to Ryan. Alex rolled his eyes.

"There would be no force necessary, I'd eat it willingly," he mumbled. Liam and Claire both smacked him.

"THE HELL YOU WILL!" They both cried out. The rest of the table broke out into laughter before Rupert cleared his throat.

"So who's going on this big away mission?" He asked, taking a small sip out of his cup of tea. Ryan pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket.

"Well, we'll have most of the security team, Kirk, Spock, Scotty, Liam, and myself there. It'll mostly be a sausage fest, except for Ensign Lopez," Ryan explained. Liam licked his lips at the thought.

"Just how I like it." Silence fell over the table as Alex let out an awkward cough.

"Yeah, that was pretty unnecessary…." Rupert mumbled as he took another sip of tea.

"Come on, can you blame me? A bunch of hot men all standing around and flexing their muscles. Come on, someone has to see from my point of view. Claire?" Claire raised an eyebrow.

"Seeing as one of those hot men is my brother, no, I don't see your point of view. Stop trying to get me involved in those conversations. One, I have a boyfriend, and two, YOU have a boyfriend." Liam paused then nodded.

"Good point," he muttered.

"So, you going to give Kirk a nice goodbye?" Alex asked. Claire knew he was just teasing her, but Ryan sent him a nasty look.

"You know what, shut up, Chambers…" Alex glared back.

"Make me, Conaway." He snapped. Ryan went to stand up, but Colleen pulled him down.

"Stop, not before an away mission," she said. Ryan sighed and focused on his lunch.

"So…?" Liam asked. Claire turned red, knowing what Liam was asking her, and looked to Rupert.

"How have you been Rupert?" she asked. Rupert chuckled.

"I'm… fine, Claire… and you?" he asked.

"Just fine, until recently. Did you know my least favorite game is twenty questions?" Claire asked.

"Claire, why won't you answer me? Are you going to say goodbye to Kirk or not?" Liam asked. Claire rose from the table.

"Maybe I'll go do that now then," she snapped before taking off. Everyone watched her form retreat from the table.

"You guys need to stop messing with that girl…" Rupert mumbled. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Or maybe you should just stop asking about her sex life," he shot. Alex shrugged.

"Hey, she knows about our sex lives and we know jack about hers," he defended. Colleen giggled.

"Okay, you two shove your sex lives into everyone's faces. And she just knows about Ryan's sex life because I'm kind of pregnant," she said. Rupert looked away from the couple and looked at his tea, suddenly seeming uncomfortable at the table. Liam smiled.

"How can you be kind of pregnant?" He asked, trying to hold back his giggling. Ryan flicked a bit of his sandwich at Liam. Colleen glared at her boyfriend.

"Oh, that was real mature," she scolded. Ryan just gave her a big toothy smile.

"Yeah, but you love me, babe!" He said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She chuckled at his behavior as he leaned over to capture her lips. Everyone awkwardly turned back to their food. Finally, Liam looked up.

"I'd really hope that she loves you considering she's carrying your child. Otherwise, we'd be taking this shit to Jerry Springer. Although, I always thought it would be pretty cool to be on that show…" Everyone at the table glared at Liam.

"SHUT UP, LIAM!"

* * *

"And here I thought you weren't going to say goodbye," Kirk said with a grin as Claire walked into his room. She chuckled as he stood up from his desk and made his way over to her.

"Sorry, I've been a bit preoccupied with the sickly sweet couples of the ship," she muttered. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist, causing her to turn a bit red. She raised her arms to wrap around his shoulders, giving them a bit of room between them.

"I'm glad you made time to see me," he said, letting his forehead rest against hers.

"Of course, but you might want to make this quick, I've got you scheduled for ten minutes," she joked. He laughed and leaned down, his soft lips pressing against hers. She gave a sigh of content into his lips as he began to slowly move them against hers. One hand dropped from his shoulder to his chest, enjoying the way they felt flexing under her touch. His tongue licked her bottom lip and she granted him permission to enter and deepen the kiss. He pulled away after a moment and simply held her close.

"I wish you were coming with us," he whispered.

"And why is that?" she asked softly.

"Because I could whisk you off to some deserted part of the jungle and have my way with you, and no one would know," he told her. She pulled away only enough to see his face.

"Oh really? What makes you think I would let you have your way with me?" she asked, her hand slowly moving across his chest.

"Oh, I know you would. I can be very convincing," he said, leaning down and capturing her lips once more, but she gently pushed him away.

"Really now? Well, try to convince me not to leave then," she said, crossing her arms. Jim gave her a slight pout as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"Try to pretend that you don't want to be here," he dared her. Claire couldn't hold back the smile that found it's way to her face.

"Fine, you win," she said as he leaned down a placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. Claire closed her eyes and leaned her head on his chest, feeling it rise and fall with every breath he took.

"Sadly, I've got to get going. We're leaving shortly and I need to go check in with the bridge before I leave," he said. She nodded and pulled away, not before he leaned in and gave her a short, but meaningful kiss.

"I'm going to miss you," she whispered. He smiled and caressed her cheek.

"I'm going to miss you too. Try not to get into any trouble," he said. She scoffed.

"Again, pot calling the kettle black!" he chuckled and walked with her out of the apartment.

"I'll see you when I get back, kettle," he said, kissing her cheek.

"See you, pot. Be careful," she warned.

"It's me, what could go wrong?" he asked. He didn't wait for an answer as he began making his way toward the bridge. Claire sighed and began to make her way to sickbay.

"That's what I'm worried about."

* * *

"Are you all ready to go, Captain Wallace?" Jim asked.

"Of course, and you can call me Drake," Captain Wallace said. Jim smiled and looked at the away crew.

"Everyone ready?" he asked.

"Yes sir, we're waiting on you," Ryan answered.

"Good, let's get going. Beam us down." Jim said. The engineer technician nodded and began to type a few things into the computer.

"You be careful with her! She's really sensitive!" Scotty called out. The engineer rolled his eyes, but nodded anyway. A few seconds later, Ryan left his body become lighter and a slight felling of dizziness washed over him. He slammed his eyes shut, but just as the funny sensation had started, it ended and Ryan opened his eyes to see that he teleported into a swamp.

"Lovely," he mumbled, lifting his boot out of the mud puddle they had landed in.

"Well, considering this is where my home is going to be for the next ten years, I think it's great!" Captain Wallace said, his comment mostly directed to Ryan. Ryan ran a hand through his hair as they began trekking through it to the base.

"So why is Starfleet sticking you on this planet for the next ten years?" Liam asked as he swatted at the bugs that had immediately been drawn to him. Captain Wallace smiled, as though remembering a fond memory.

"Two months ago, my crew had attacked a Klingon vessel in our airspace. Well, the Klingons didn't like that too much and now we've been put under something similar to the witness protect program to keep safe," he explained. Scotty coughed.

"Starfleet stuck me on a planet once. Never sent me food or supplies. Just me and a giant icicle!" He snapped, remembering his time spent on the arctic planet.

"Then again, you did mess with Admiral Archer's beagle," Jim pointed out. Scotty shrugged as they made their way onto dry land. They stopped when they saw an old building, where they assumed was to be the new base.

"Here you are, so we're just stuck here while we wait for the rest of your crew to arrive," Jim said.

"Yes, thank you. I doubt there will be much trouble," Drake said. They walked into the building and Drake turned on the lights, flinching when they saw the sight of the disheveled looking base.

"Home sweet home?" Liam asked. Drake sighed and crossed his arms.

"I guess my crew will be doing some spring cleaning when they arrive," he muttered. Spock raised an eyebrow as his continued to scan the area.

"I believe that would be an understatement," he said. Jim chuckled at Spock's joke and sighed.

"So, we're going to set up tents outside, and we'll have people monitoring the base at all times," Jim told him.

"I'm not sharing a tent with Peterson," a security ensign said. Ensign Lopez rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, you homophobe," she snapped.

"I have no plans on getting all Brokeback swamp, thank you very much." Annalisa simply punched his arm and rolled her eyes.

"Okay fine, Ensign Nguyen can share a tent with Ensign Owens. Ensign Lopez gets her own tent. Captain Kirk can share a tent with Commander Spock. Captain Wallace is going to remain in the base. Liam and I can share a tent," Ryan said, trying to stop the argument between his security team. Spock shot Kirk a look out of the corner of his eye before turning to Ryan.

"Perhaps it would be better if I shared a tent with either yourself or Doctor Peterson," Spock offer. Kirk folded his arms.

"It was one time, Spock. It won't happen again!" He snapped. Silence fell over the group.

"Um… should I even ask?" Ryan asked slowly. Kirk's eyes got wide as Spock shrugged.

"The last time the Captain and I shared a tent, he violated me in my sleep after having a sexual dream about…" Kirk rushed to cover Spock's mouth. Ryan felt his anger rising as Spock's words began to register.

"You had a sex dream about my sister?" He snapped. Captain Wallace raised an eyebrow as Ryan grabbed Kirk by the collar.

"It really wasn't like that…" He said, forcing himself to chuckle. Ryan's stony grey eyes bore holes in Kirk's head.

"I think it would be best if you shared a tent with the Captain tonight, Lt. Commander Conaway," Spock offered. Liam folded his arms over his chest.

"Don't I get any say in this?" he asked.

"I am just assuming the best way to proceed. Do you have a problem with the arrangement?" Liam paused for a moment before shrugging.

"I guess not, I don't really care," Liam said.

"Then it is settled," Spock said.

"The security team and I will be up a perimeter," Ryan said.

"Sounds good, we'll set up the tents," Kirk said. Ryan simply nodded and took his security team outside. Jim sighed and ran a hand over his face before looking at Liam, who was shaking his head.

"He's going to kill me, isn't he?" Jim asked him. Liam shrugged.

"It's quite a possibility. I wouldn't suggest having another sex dream about his sister, probably wouldn't go over to well," Liam said.

"Nor would I suggest invading him anally either, captain," Spock said. Jim sighed and nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind."

* * *

The night was humid, and it seemed like all the heat that transpired through the day simply never went away. As a result, a lot of the men were walking around without shirts on, not that Liam was complaining. Ryan and Kirk were blessed with being the first ones on watch, though anyone could tell Ryan wanted to be anywhere but with the Captain.

"It's pretty quiet out…" Kirk offered, trying to get a conversation going. He was normally a very social person and sitting in silence for the past hour was killing him. Ryan shot a glare in his direction under the tree branch.

"Well it's not anymore," Ryan snapped. He leaned back against the tree that he was sitting in, trying to enjoy what little he could of the night. He hated the heat and the way it made his clothes stick to his skin. It really made him regret wearing boxers…

"Lovely weather?" Kirk tried, but Ryan only shot him another glare.

"I hate it," he stated simply. Kirk sighed.

"You know, I'm trying to be civilized here!" Kirk called up into the tree, but Ryan ignored him. After no answer, Kirk picked a small rock up off the ground and hurled it into the tree. Kirk heard a yelp and smiled as he heard leaves rustled and watched Ryan fall into a bush underneath the tree.

"You dickweed!" Ryan called out, as he tried to stand up. A few leaves stuck to his sweaty chest and a stick was protruding from his blond hair. As soon as Kirk took in the sight before him, he bust out laughing. Ryan rolled his eyes and pulled the horrible twig out of his hair. Kirk sat down on a old tree trunk, and Ryan sat down not far from him.

"Do you need to see a doctor?" Kirk asked.

"No, I'm fine," he snapped. Kirk rolled his eyes and looked out into the jungle. Since the base was centered at the bottom of a gorge, so they only had to watch one side. They sat in a silence and let each other get lost in their own thoughts.

"So, I heard you are expecting a kid, congratulations," Jim said. Ryan turned to him and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, thanks," he said. Jim sighed as he scratched the back of his head.

"So, are you going to stay on the _Enterprise_? Or are you going to go back to earth?" Jim asked. Ryan gave a frustrated sigh, not liking the sudden amount of personal questions being dumped on him.

"I'm not sure yet. Depends on what Colleen wants to do, and if you agree to let us raise it on the ship," Ryan said. Jim paused and shrugged.

"I don't see why not. When is she due?" Jim asked. He figured he would continue on the subject, since it seemed to be the only thing he could get the man to talk about.

"It's really none of your business, sir," Ryan snapped. Jim ran a hand through his hair, something he was steadily picking up from Claire.

"Look, I'm not sure what your problem is with me, but it needs to stop. This is ridiculous," Jim muttered. Ryan snorted.

"Isn't it obvious?" He countered, but Kirk shook his head.

"No, not really. The only connection is that I'm going out with your sister!" Kirk yelled. Ryan stood up.

"That's exactly it! You don't deserve her. She's gone out with some pretty weird guys before, but I still can't even believe she'd go out with a guy like you!" Ryan shouted. Kirk stood up as well.

"A guy like me? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He spat, advancing towards Ryan.

"A player, a womanizer! Ever since her last boyfriend, she's steered clear of guys like you and stuck with a good, but I guess she just couldn't resist your pretty face like every other girl who ends up in your bed!" Ryan spat, refusing to back down. Kirk stopped just short of stomping on Ryan's foot. They were practically nose to nose at this point.

"She's a big girl and you need to back off. We've been going out this long and haven't done anything sexual. I changed and I don't like you holding me to my past!"

"I don't like you dating my sister, so get over it." Jim pressed his lips together.

"Bringing you onto the ship was a damn mistake," Jim snapped turning around and taking a few steps away.

"What?" Ryan asked.

"How do you think you fucking got onto the _Enterprise_? Sure, you're a pretty good officer, and any other ship would have taken you. But if it wasn't for my specifically asking for you, you wouldn't be on my ship," Jim snapped. He paused when he realized what he was saying. He ran a hand over his face and frowned.

"You requested me on the ship? Why?" Ryan asked. Before Jim could say anything, there was the sound of a branch breaking and something charged into Jim, causing him to fall to the ground. Ryan picked up his phaser and went to shoot the Klingon that was now trying to kill Jim, but was stopped by another Klingon jumping out and tackling him to the ground. However, unlike his captain, Ryan had gone through six months of training for moments like these. He felt the Klingon jump onto his back and quickly shoved him off to the side and spun around to kick the Klingon before he could get back up.

"RED ALERT!" Ryan yelled towards the camp. Before he could go help Jim, two more Klingons jumped out of the bushes and rushed towards Ryan. Ryan's reflexes were quick as he fired at one Klingon with his phaser and tripped the other Klingon before he could use his knife to attack him. Ryan shot the Klingon in the hand, causing him to drop the knife. Ryan grabbed the knife, the handle warm in his hand, and threw it towards the Klingon that had Kirk pinned to the ground. The knife pierced the Klingon's side and he fall off to the side of Kirk, allowing him to get to his feet.

"Captain, are you alright?" Spock said.

"Just fine, damn I need to hit the gym," Jim said. Spock, who seemed to be the only person wearing a shirt next to Lopez, gave a light nod and looked at the Klingon who was writhing in pain.

"What are you doing here?" Jim asked.

"We're here for Wallace," the Klingon said. Jim sighed and looked over at Spock, who simply raised an eyebrow.

"They know he is here," Spock said.

"You can surrender, and we can have Starfleet deal with you. Or we can keep you prisoner, and we'll deal with you," Jim said. The Klingon didn't answer, simply grabbed a dagger and charged at Ryan. Before he got too close, Kirk raised his phaser and shot him down, letting out a deep sigh.

"Damn, we're going to have to contact Starfleet now…" he muttered.

"Doctor Peterson and I will take the next watch," Spock said. Jim nodded and made his way to the tent. Ryan stayed put for a moment before moving his shoulder, causing a crack to echo through the woods.

"Jesus, you alright?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, fine… just a stiff shoulder," he answered. Liam nodded and sat down on a log as far away from the Klingons as possible.

"You should get some rest, Lt. Commander…" Ryan nodded as he begrudgingly made his way to the tent, pausing before entering. He turned around to see Kirk slowly trekking up to the tent behind him.

"What?" Kirk asked, noticing the look that Ryan was giving him.

"I could have let you die back there. After what you said to me… I should have let you died," Ryan mumbled. Kirk pushed past him into the tent.

"Then kill me in my sleep. I'm too tired to argue with you right now," Kirk mumbled as he crawled into the tent. Ryan waited a moment before following. The two men stripped down into the boxers in silence and went to bed without another word.

* * *

It was the middle of the night and Ryan woke up to his bladder screaming at him. The heat had subsided a bit and he considered grabbing a t-shirt to sleep in after running to use a bush. Just as he opened his eyes, he realized that Kirk and him weren't alone. Towering above Kirk's sleep form was a Klingon, a knife raised over his head. Ignoring his urge to use the bathroom, Ryan leapt up and tackled the Klingon out of the way. They fell into the side of the tent, bringing the whole thing down. Ryan could feel the knife digging into his shoulder, the blade ripping through the tender flesh and muscles. The Klingon cried out in surprised, waking up Jim.

"Holy shit!" He cried, searching for his pants underneath their deflated tent. Ryan grunted in pain as he ripped the knife out of his shoulder, the warm crimson liquid already pouring out of his wound and all over his naked upper half. Without a second thought, Ryan drove the dagger into the Klingon chest just as Kirk pulled out his phaser.

"WHERE IS HE, RYAN?" Kirk cried out. Before Ryan could reply, the fallen tent was ripped off of them. Ryan looked up to see Ensign Lopez holding the tent with one hand and a phaser in the other. The Klingon was hidden by a few items in the tent, and she only saw Ryan with his shoulder bleeding, and Kirk with a phaser pointed at Ryan.

"_Qué carajo? _What happened in here?" she asked. Both Ryan and Jim paused to take in the fact that a very attractive looking woman was standing in front of them in nothing but her bra and shorts.

"There is a Klingon, somewhere in the tent," Ryan said. He got up and walked out of the tent, Jim right behind him.

"How did a Klingon get in your tent?" She asked.

"We don't ask questions. I think I'm sleeping in the base though," Jim said, putting his pants on before walking to the base. Ryan sighed and went to run a hand through his hair, but stopped when a pain went through his shoulder.

"You should get Liam to look at your cut, it's looks pretty nasty," Lopez said. Ryan nodded and sighed as he looked at the disheveled tent.

"I'm not getting any sleep tonight… am I?" He asked. Lopez raised an eyebrow.

"On this planet? Yeah right…" he nodded.

"Thanks Lopez, for checking in." She nodded and gave a light pat to his good shoulder.

"Of course sir, I was on duty and I heard the commotion," she told him.

"All by yourself?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No, I was with Ensign Owens, but he ran off talking about seeing something and we drifted from our post." He nodded.

"Alright, well… keep up the good work, I'm going to go see the doctor," he said.

"Of course, but uh… sir…" he looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah?" She pressed her lips together and gave a small cough.

"You might want to put some pants on, and get a change of underwear…" she told him. He gave her a confused expression before he realized that before the attack he had to use the bathroom.

* * *

"We've been here one day and you've already gotten stabbed. Good thing I'm here and not your sister," Liam mumbled, more to himself than Ryan. After quickly getting changed out of his "wet" attire, Ryan went to wake Liam up while Lopez captured the Klingon that had attacked while he was sleeping. Despite how tired Liam was, he managed to stitch Ryan's shoulder up with little effort.

"Yeah… thanks for doing this, by the way," Ryan added, seeing Liam stifled back yet another yawn. Liam nodded and rubbed at his eyes.

"No problem at all. That should do it until we get back onto the ship. Until then, go easy," Liam told him. Ryan thanked him before heading back to his destroyed tent. Just as he arrived, he noticed Kirk sitting on a rock nearby.

"We should talk," he said bluntly, his head resting in his hands. Ryan nodded and took a seat next to the captain. They sat in silence for a moment before Jim ran a hand over his face.

"Look, it's not secret you don't like me, and it's not secret I'm not a big fan of you. We started off badly from the beginning. I'm sorry I've been egging you on, it wasn't very mature of me. But I tend to do it when I'm faced with a jerk." Ryan sent him a look.

"Listen-"

"Let me finish. Twice you have saved my life, not counting the amount of times you have led the security department to help out the ship. I owe you a lot for that. But for some reason we cannot seem to get along," Jim said. Ryan sighed and lightly rubbed his shoulder.

"Sorry… I'm usually not as much of an ass I make myself out to be…" Jim raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Could've fooled me. Dude the first time we met you broke my nose," Jim said.

"In my defense you were hitting on my sister…" Jim sighed and looked at the ground. "You think if Claire wasn't involved… we would be fine?" Ryan asked.

"If Claire wasn't involved… you wouldn't be on the ship…" Ryan looked at him.

"You gonna explain?" he asked. Jim sighed.

"Before you were on the ship… she was different. Don't get me wrong, she was still amazing, but… she's different now. Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, she spent most of her time working, rather than enjoying everything. She was different. It was like a piece of her was missing. When you came back, she was back," Jim said. Ryan was a little taken aback. On one hand, he was surprised this guy could read his sister so well, on the other, he felt a little used.

"You brought me on your ship so you could get with my sister?" Jim made a disgusting face.

"No, what are you on crack? Spock suggested you as a candidate. I just said yes because I knew that you were Claire's brother," Jim said in his defense. Ryan sighed.

"Still… you put me on your ship for my sister, not because of my skills…" Ryan trailed off, his eyes downcast.

"We seem to be doing well with the honesty, so I'm not going to sugarcoat it. Yeah, I did. But I'm glad I did because you've proven yourself on more than one occasion. Was it for bad reasons? Yes. Do I regret it? Not at all." Ryan didn't know what to say. After a moment of pondering in an awkward silence, he sighed.

"I don't like you and I haven't from the start, plus you've given me every reason not to. Like it or not, you're my sister's boyfriend. And what's more, you're my captain. So we're going to have to get along without killing each other," Ryan said slowly, still unsure of his words. Jim nodded.

"I agree, we need to get along. So let's set up some guidelines…"

* * *

"So you guys sat there and talked for a whole hour?" Liam asked as they ate their breakfast together. Ryan nodded.

"And we laid down some rules for each other. For instance, I won't glare at him every time he and my sister are together. In return, he'll try to leave the touchy-feely stuff to when I'm not around. We've got a whole list, man," Ryan told him, poking at his mushy eggs. Liam shrugged.

"Well, it's better than you trying to kill him with your mind. Speaking of touchy-feely, I miss my Alex…"

"I'd like so say I understand what you're going through… but I think it's a little different," Ryan said. Liam shrugged and poked at his own breakfast. A second later Ensign Lopez sat down next to Ryan, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah?" he asked. She looked at him and suddenly looked really offended.

"What? You think because I sit next to you I have business to talk about? You ever think that maybe all my friends are on the ship?" she snapped. Ryan frowned and felt like he was two inches tall.

"Sorry… I just assumed…" She rolled her eyes.

"That's what you get for assuming," she snapped. She then began to mutter a few curses in Spanish under her breath, causing Liam to giggle.

"You make me laugh, you should hang out with us more often," Liam said.

"Maybe I will, I'm usually working though." Liam nodded.

"Me too, our superior officers are hard asses." Anna snorted.

"You have no idea," she muttered. Ryan looked at her, eyebrows raised.

"Dude!" She rolled her eyes.

"I'm off duty, I can say whatever I want," she said. Ryan sighed and stood up.

"We're expecting some of the crew today, you guys should get ready to receive them," Ryan said. Liam nodded and threw away the rest of his food. Anna practically inhaled the rest of her food and followed Liam's example.

"Lt. Commander Conaway… Is your team ready to receive the rest of the crew?" Spock asked.

"I believe so sir, they just ate breakfast, but once they have all their equipment together we should be good to go," Ryan said. Spock nodded as he turned to Liam.

"Dr. Peterson, you are request to join the rest of the team inside the base where we shall began helping the crew clean as Scotty and their engineers set up the security system for the base," Spock told him. Liam nodded as the Vulcan walked away. Then he turned to Ryan.

"He totally wants me," Liam said as he darted off in Spock's direction. Ryan rolled his eyes before running a tired hand throughout his hair. He'd gotten minimal sleep the night before and humiliated himself in front of Kirk and Ensign Lopez.

"I guess I'm working again. So what's the word, boss man?" Anna asked as she cleaned up her plates from breakfast. Ryan paused for a moment to pondered their plans for the day.

"Ensign Nguyen will take the west side of the building and Ensign Owens will take the east. You'll be on top of the base doing rounds while I take the north. We won't really need to worry about the south, but if you see any activity just let us know. We'll all be on radio channel four for the rest of the day," Ryan explained. She nodded.

"Got it, boss man," she said. Ryan gave a yawn and wished he had gotten more than four hours of sleep.

"Time to work…"

* * *

Jim gave a small smile as he saw half of Drake Wallace's crew walk through the door of the base. He was still quite anxious to get this over with, and it seems like his crew was taking their sweet ass time.

"Thank you, Captain, for helping my crew. Tomorrow the rest of them should arrive and you'll be free to go back to your ship," Drake said. Jim jumped slightly, but smiled when he saw the captain.

"It's a pleasure, Captain. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't anxious to get home," Jim said. Drake smiled and nodded.

"I don't blame you, there is nothing like being on your own bridge. I'd be anxious too." Jim nodded.

"Yeah, that and other things. It's always a pleasure to help out another Captain though…" Jim offered. Wallace just shook his head.

"You've got a girl back on the ship?" Jim felt as if his eyes were bulging out of his head.

"How did you…?" Wallace merely smiled at Jim's question.

"You've got this look in your eyes. It's like a mixture between lust and longing. And I highly doubt you'd be feeling that way for best friend, so I assumed," Wallace offered as Jim nodded. In that moment, he felt like a window, as if the whole world could see right through him. His feelings for Claire were obvious and he was missing her so much, it almost hurt. Just the thought of her left a pang of pain in his chest. He had it bad…

"It's weird. It seems like everything recently is revolved around her. It kind of scares me," Jim confessed. Wallace just smiled.

"I know the feeling," he muttered. Before Jim could say anything else, Ryan walked through the door.

"I believe that is all, the security crew will help clean up a bit before we get ready to patrol. Is there anything specific I should tell my men to do?" he asked.

"I don't think so. The engineering team is helping them get some security systems online, maybe one of your men could help them out," Jim said. Ryan nodded and pointed to Nguyen, who moved to help the engineering team.

"Alright, Owens, go tell Lopez she is needed down here and take her spot. Everyone else, you are to help clean this place out and follow orders from Captain Wallace's crew. I'm going to help the patrol team outside," Ryan told his men. Jim watched him take control and raised an eyebrow. If he ever wanted, he could see the man becoming a Captain, just not of his ship.

"Yes sir," they all answered. Without any hesitation, they set out to do what their commanding officer had ordered them to do. Spock appeared next to Jim as he watched them work.

"Something on your mind, Captain?" Spock asked as he also watched the security team carry out their business. Jim sighed.

"I just wish that my crew would respect me as much as Ryan's men respect them. I feel like they just follow me because I'm their Captain," Jim confessed as Wallace disappeared to yell random things at his crew. Spock stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Well Jim, you are their captain. What more do you want?" He asked. Jim sighed as he leaned against the railing that prevented them from falling off the riser they were on.

"I want their respect, not just because I'm their captain, but because I earned it." Spock stepped forward and placed a hand on Jim's shoulder.

"You have nothing to fear from Lt. Commander Conaway. His men just respect him because they are together all the time. You have got an entire ship of people who you have got to lead. You can not be there for every one of them. The best thing that you can do is be their captain. In time, they will learn to respect you just like the security team respects Lt. Commander Conaway," Spock told him, trying to lift Jim's spirits. Jim couldn't help as a smile formed on his face.

"I could hug you, Spock," Jim told him, turning around to see the Vulcan take a hesitant step back.

"I believe now is not the time for a hug, since I am still not over our run in the last time we shared a tent, Captain." Jim's face went red as he nodded.

"Good plan." there was a sudden yell and every one paused to look at each other, then the _Enterprise_ crew ran out just in time to see ensign Owens narrowly miss a Klingon stabbing him in the side. He did miss, however, the same Klingon hitting the back of his head. He fell to the ground in a heap, and turned to Lopez, who was already in a fighting pose. When the Klingon charged at her, she used his own weight to flip him and kick him in the side. He groaned in pain and grabbed her ankle, causing her to fall to the ground. She spun to her side and kicked him in the face before standing on her feet. The crew simply stood to the side, not sure if they should intervene or not.

"You will die, human!" the Klingon snapped when he stood up.

"Bring it, _perra_!" she snapped. The Klingon rushed at her, but instead of falling for the same trick twice, he darted to the side before she could grab him again. Ensign Lopez was caught off guard as the Klingon kicked off the wall and shoved them both off the side of the base. Ensign Lopez cried out in surprised as the two of them rolled down the hill that the base was located on top of. Ryan proceeded to follow them, phaser out in his hand.

"COVER ME!" He called out to Ensign Owens. Mark Owens was normally a pretty chill guy, his green eyes carefree and happy. But as Ryan disappeared, he realized that it was up to him to guard the base. He wasn't fond of pressure.

"Y-Yes, sir!" He called back. Ensign Nguyen ran to his side and put his hand on his shoulder.

"I got your back!" Mark had never been so relieved to her Tommy Nguyen's voice before. Normally, the two couldn't stop fighting and bickering. Ryan looked back to see his two ensigns in position as he reached the bottom of the hill. Ensign Lopez was already on her feet, getting ready to deliver a kick to the Klingon chest.

"Are you okay, Anna?" Ryan asked. Anna was slightly distracted by Ryan's voice and the Klingon seized the opportunity to grab her by the arm and pull her back down. Ryan went to fire his phaser, but Ensign Lopez was now in the way of him getting a clear shot.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?" She called to him, seeing his hesitation. He took a deep breath and took the shot, hitting the Klingon, and a bit of Lopez's thigh. The Klingon fell on top of her, and she groaned in pain, from her leg and the sudden weight. Ryan put his phaser down and ran over, lifting the Alien off his Ensign.

"You okay, Anna?" he asked. She nodded and tried to stand up, only to practically fall on him.

"Fuck, my leg, shit…" She began a string of curses in Spanish, and Ryan simply placed her on the ground.

"Liam, I need you!" he shouted.

"It's about time!" Liam replied. Ryan rolled his eyes and looked at Annalisa, who blew a strand of her dark hair out of her dark eyes.

"Liam will take a look at your leg, you'll be on your feet in no time," he said. She nodded and sighed.

"Thank you, Commander…" she said. He chuckled.

"You can call me Ryan… after this mission it's appropriate." She smiled and rolled her eyes. Before she could reply, Liam walked up to them and set his medical kit down.

"So… what happened?" Liam asked.

"My phaser hit her thigh, she needs to be looked at," Ryan said. Liam nodded and began searching through his medical kit.

"Okay, Ryan I need you to go back up to the base and try to find something we can use to carry her back up with," Liam ordered. Ryan got ready to move, but Anna grabbed his shoulder.

"I'm fine to get up there by myself," she said through clenched teeth, trying to hide the sound of pain in her voice. She used Ryan's shoulder to support her weight, but hissed as her leg gave out and she fell back down.

"Stupid girl, stop trying to hurt yourself more!" Liam snapped. He pulled out some cotton wads and began cleaning her wound. She hissed again as the medicine soaked into her thigh. Liam went to grab more cotton wads and noticed Ryan still standing there. "What are you waiting for? Another Klingon to jump out and kill us both? Hurry up!" Liam snapped. Ryan immediately took off up the hill. Anna sighed and glared at the Doctor.

"It's just a scratch," she snapped.

"Oh shut up, you're just as bad as the men." Anna scoffed and looked up the hill, waiting for Ryan to come back.

"So… that's Claire's brother?" she asked. Liam nodded.

"Hot piece of ass right?" he asked. She nodded absentmindedly and shook her head.

"He has a girlfriend. And I just- OUCH! _Qué diablos? Eso duele!_" She snapped.

"English dear, I don't speak Spanish," Liam said.

"That hurt!" she snapped.

"Oh, yeah… it tends to…" he said. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arm.

"Is Ensign Owens going to be alright? I saw him hit his head pretty hard." Liam looked like he was thinking before shrugging.

"He was up and walking when I saw him. Shit… you might have a bit of scarring. If we were on the ship I could have McCoy or someone take care of it, but I don't have the skill or equipment to take care of it," Liam said.

"I'll be able to walk though… right?" She asked.

"Yeah, don't worry. As soon as Ryan get's back with a bed or something!" They heard something slide down the hill and Ryan appeared in front of them with a hover bed.

"I'm here, I've got a bed!" Ryan said. Liam scoffed.

"About time, put her on the bed and take her up. I have shit to do," Liam said, walking up the hill. Ryan rolled his eyes and gathered the small woman in his arms, placing her carefully on the bed.

"You going to be alright?" he asked. Anna was about to snap at him, but froze as she saw the compassion in his grey eyes. She'd never really looked at him like she was now, but she couldn't help it. His olive-colored skin almost sparkled in the light and she could see his well-toned muscles from under his shirt. His grey eyes were kind, but fierce at the same time. His blonde hair was short and choppy, but seemed to fight him perfectly. Not to mention she'd got a nice look at the half naked man the night before, but she hadn't really stopped to think about it.

"Anna… Annalisa? Ensign Lopez!" Anna snapped out of her thoughts to see Ryan's grey eyes full of concern.

"H-hey…" Ryan went to check her pulse.

"Are you okay? Should I get Liam back here?" Anna realized what was happening and grabbed Ryan's hand. She felt his rough fingertips graze hers and she thrust his hand back at him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I was just a little dizzy there for a second. Let's just get back up to the base!" She said, letting out a breath that she didn't even realize she'd be holding. Ryan nodded and guided the hover bed back up the hill and into the base. All eyes fell on Anna as she was pushed into the building.

"You okay there?" Captain Wallace asked as he approached her bed. She nodded.

"Just a scratch. I'll be back on my feet soon," she told him. Captain Wallace smiled, but Ryan shook his head.

"She'll be taking it easy the rest of the day. Ensign Nguyen will be taking over her shift for the rest of the day. Hopefully security can continue setting up the defense system without him," Ryan explained. Anna sent him a glare as Captain Wallace nodded.

"I'll go inform them now. Take care, ensign." Captain Wallace bid farewell to them as Ryan continued pushing Anna to an area where she could rest.

"I don't know if you realize it right now, but I'm really pissed at you right now," Anna snapped at him. Ryan just gave her a confused look.

"And why is that?"

"For relieving me of duty. I can still kick some Klingon ass even like this!" She declared. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"No. Hate me all you want, I'm doing this for you own good. You might be good without the rest, but you'll be even better later with it. Just chill out. We've got everything covered without you," Ryan said in a demanding voice. His word was law and Anna couldn't do anything about it. He was a Lt. Commander and she was his Ensign. Funny how the statement seemed to apply to a lot more than him telling her to take it easy.

* * *

"What I don't get is why all these Klingons are coming at us one by one. Usually they are pretty straight forward," Jim muttered. Spock raised an eyebrow and watched as the Captain read over a few things on his data pad.

"Interesting question, Jim… perhaps there is a reason to why they are attacking like this." Jim nodded.

"I don't think they see us as a threat. We're a relatively small group." Ryan, who had been listening to the two men talk, interjected.

"Maybe they went after you first, sir," Ryan said. Spock glanced at him like he was in deep thought before speaking.

"That would make sense. In order to break up the order, the leader must first be eliminated." Ryan nodded.

"Maybe after the attack in the tent they thought they took care of you and went after some of the other members," Ryan said. Jim pressed his lips together as he thought it over.

"So, there is probably more of them…"

"If there is, there can't be much more of them out there. If there was, there would be a lot more of them attacking us. It doesn't seem that serious," Captain Wallace interrupted.

"Two of my people were hurt, one can't walk. How is that not serious?" Ryan asked. Jim put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from swinging at the Captain. Before another word could be send, Scotty ran up to the group.

"Well we shouldn't have to worry about it anymore. The defense system is up and the radar system can pick up any potential threat in a five mile radius. We're all good to go home, Captain," Scotty said, addressing Jim. He nodded and turned to Captain Wallace.

"It seems that you and your crew are set now. I believe your security team is arriving shortly, so we'll leave after they arrive," Jim stated. Captain Wallace nodded.

"This is great. You have no idea how appreciative I am of you coming to help us out!" Wallace declared, rushing to hug the other captain. Awkwardly, Jim patted Wallace on his back as Ryan shot him a glare. Scotty saw the display and leaned over to Ryan.

"Man, you just don't seem to like anyone these days…" He stated before walking off. Ryan ran a hand through his hair and gave a heavy sigh. He needed to get off this planet. The pain in his shoulder, added to the lack of sleep and humidity, he was not a happy person. He walked outside and saw Liam tending to Anna, who seemed to be glaring at the doctor.

"Woman, would you hold still. Shit, you're worse than Alex when he needs to get his shots," Liam snapped. Anna shot him a look and leaned back.

"How is she doing?" Ryan asked, walking over. He didn't fail to notice that she was in her short shorts so Liam could look at her wound a little, and found his eyes shamelessly wandering. He pulled his eyes away and looked at Liam, who was putting a Hello Kitty band-aid on her cut.

"She is doing fine. I would be walking if it wasn't for his insisting that I stay laying down," she snapped. Liam glared at her and pinched her thigh near her wound, causing her to let out a low hiss.

"My insisting is keeping your wound from getting infected, so shut up," he snapped back. Ryan laughed at their childish bickering before taking a seat on the ground next to Anna. Liam began cleaning up his medical kit as Ryan looked up into the sky.

"I don't know about you two, but I can't wait until we get back on the ship," he stated, his eyes searching the sky for a sign of their ship. Anna and Liam looked to the sky as well, trying to follow Ryan's gaze.

"Yeah, me too so they can fix me up right and I can walk again," Anna mumbled under her breath, but both men could clearly hear her. The forest surrounding them was quiet, causing every little noise to sound louder than it actually was. Ryan gave Anna a smile through half-lidded tired eyes. She returned his smile and mimicked his lazy look.

"You should be trying to enjoy this mini break, not bitch about it every ten seconds," Liam muttered.

"Break? Coming from the guy who didn't want to be here in the first place." Liam stuck his tongue out at Ryan and sighed when he finished looking at Anna's leg.

"You want me to take another look at your shoulder? I'm actually surprised that you haven't hurt it even worse." Anna looked at his shoulder and noticed it was still bandaged up.

"I think I'm good. I'm just worried Colleen is going to freak. If she does, will the baby be alright?" Ryan asked.

"I'm sure it will be, it doesn't seem like she's been having a difficult pregnancy. You should ask Claire…" Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Why Claire?" she asked.

"Claire is Colleen's doctor," Ryan answered.

"Oh… wouldn't it be better for McCoy or someone to do it? Why not you?" Anna asked. Liam shrugged.

"I'm not qualified to deal with a pregnant woman. I can take care of babies, but not prenatal care. Or birthing. Alex… Alex won't go near a pregnant woman. He says it'll ruin the image of a vagina for him. Claire, other than McCoy, is the only one who seemed to be able to be her doctor. Which is sad," Liam explained. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Not to mention that Colleen refuses to let McCoy be her doctor. She requested my sister, so there's not much else to it," Ryan added. Anna smiled.

"I'm sorry, but that's kind of cute. Your sister gets to deliver your baby," Anna said with a smile. Liam squealed at her words,

"See, I'm not the only one who thinks it's ridiculously cute!" Ryan shrugged.

"I'm cool with it because Claire is my sister and I trust her, but she's not so happy with the idea. She wants to be a surgeon," Ryan told her. Before anyone could reply, Kirk stepped outside.

"The rest of the crew just arrived. Once they're settled, we're heading out. Start getting ready, okay?" The crew began to work and Liam stood up.

"Alright Anna… I'll let you get the stuff from your tent, but as soon as your done, you need to take it easy," Liam said. Anna pressed her lips together but gave a sigh.

"Fine, I need help though." Ryan stood up and grabbed her arm, helping her up on the way.

"There you go," he said. She smiled up at him.

"Thanks."

"No problem, let's get going. The sooner we're off this planet the better."

* * *

"Well, Captain Kirk, I believe this is where we part ways," Wallace said. Jim held out his hand to shake the captains hand.

"It was a pleasure, hope to work with you in the future," Jim said. The captain ignored Jim's hand and moved forward and hugged him.

"Of course, I would love that!" he said. A few crew members snickered and Liam turned to Anna.

"Looks like Claire has some competition," he whispered. Anna chuckled and they both ignored the look Jim shot them.

"Well, not saying that I'm lesbian or anything, but I think Claire is hotter," Anna replied. Jim ignored them and pulled away from the captain.

"Yes, that would be… enjoyable. We really need to get going though," Jim said. Wallace nodded.

"Of course, and take care of that girl back on this ship." Jim gave an awkward cough and took a few steps back.

"Hope the security system works," Jim said, not quite sure what to say.

"Of course, goodbye, Captain…" Wallace told him. Jim gave a nod and pulled out his communicator.

"_Enterprise_, away team is ready to beam up." There was a pause before a woman replied.

"_Affirmative sir, stand still and get ready for transport._" Ryan felt the same familiar sensation of his body getting lighter. This time though, he felt no dizziness. He watched as the inside of the base disappeared from sight. His eyes hurt as the bright lights the covered the ceiling of the base were replaced with the low-lighting of the _Enterprise. _Ryan smiled to himself as he saw Claire, Colleen, Alex, and Rupert standing to the side of the transporter when he finally arrived back on the ship.

"Man it's good to be home," he whispered to himself as Colleen ran up and launched herself into Ryan's waiting arms. He grunted as she placed a little too much weight on his wound, but he almost didn't care. It was good to have her back in his arms again.

"Are you okay?" She asked, noting the wince of pain on his face. He shook his head.

"I'm fine. We had a little run in with the Klingons, but I'm fine now. I'm just so damn glad to be back!" Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jim step off the platform and cross the room to where Claire was standing.

"Man, I missed you like crazy," he whispered to her, before leaning down to capture her lips with a hungry passion. He'd missed the way her soft lips felt against his own and how perfectly her smaller frame fit against his. It was perfect.

"Captain, we are required to debrief what we have done to Starfleet," Spock said, interrupting the kiss. Jim pulled away from Claire with a small sigh, causing her to chuckle.

"It's okay, go do your captain thing, I'll still be around in a few hours," she told him. He smiled and went to turn away, only to have the ship jerk under his feet. Almost everyone in the room fell to the ground, including Alex and Liam, who were in the middle of a lip lock.

"Ow, Ale', you 'it I hung!" Liam cried. Jim stood up, taking Claire's hand and pulling her up as well.

"Captain Kirk to the bridge, what the hell is going on up there?" He asked.

"_Sir, the planet is exploding, we got hit with a wave. We're proceeding to get away from the planet as we speak,_" Sulu responded. Jim turned pale and left the transporter room, Spock and Scotty following after him.

"_Red Alert! All crew to your posts!"_ a voice called.

"So much for a reunion," Colleen muttered. Colleen, Rupert, Ryan, and a few other members of the security and engineering team took of. Liam, Alex, and Claire stayed behind and helped Anna, who was fuming.

"I'm fine, I can walk! I need to get to my post!" she cried. Liam rolled his eyes and gestured to Claire.

"Elp 'er to 'ick 'ay," Liam said. Claire wanted to chuckle, but realized this was probably not the best time for humor.

"Here, let me help you," Claire said, hoisting her up. Anna gave a frustrated huff but let the woman help her out.

"I'm sick of people helping my ass out everywhere," she grumbled to herself. Alex shot her a glare.

"We could leave you here and I could go make out with my boyfriend in sickbay," he snapped. Claire slapped him on the arm.

"Asshole," Claire stated as they navigated the halls. Liam rolled his eyes and leaned down to Anna's ear.

"For the record, I'd love to be making out with him right now, but you're top priority right now," he whispered. Anna smirked.

"Glad to know I trump gay make-out sessions." Claire chuckled and walked into sickbay with her.

"Consider yourself lucky. If it were me they'd be all over each other," she said, sitting her on a bed.

"Well… I'm surprised you're not off with your boyfriend," Anna said.

"Eh, it's not as great as everyone says it is," Claire said, taking a look at her leg.

"Really? Making-out with the famous James Kirk isn't fantastic?" She asked. Claire tried to hide the smile, but had no luck.

"No, it's pretty fantastic." Anna chuckled and braced herself as the ship shook once more.

"Shit, what the hell is going on?" Anna hissed.

"I don't know, I doubt it's good though," Claire said. Claire glanced over at McCoy, who looked to be talking to someone on the bridge through the computer. She turned back to Anna and grabbed one of her tools.

"This isn't going to hurt… is it?" Anna asked.

"You can deal with the big bad men from security, but cringe at a medical tool?" Claire asked. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah…" she snapped. Claire rolled her eyes.

"It's just going to clean out the wound, don't worry." The ship shook again and Claire sighed. "Damn… I hope everything is alright…" Anna's eyes never left the tool.

"Perhaps you should wait until the ship stops jerking…" she said slowly, the fear evident in her voice. Claire gave her a reassuring smile.

"If it'll make you feel comfortable, we'll wait. Let me go check to see what's going on," she told Anna who nodded. Claire crossed the room, seeing Liam all over his boyfriend in the other room. Jeez, those two couldn't make it five more minutes.

"Dr. Conaway, why aren't you over there with you patient?" McCoy asked as he caught sight of the young doctor out of the corner of his eye. Claire cleared her throat as she approached her boss.

"I want to clean out her wound, but I'm afraid I might hurt her with the ship jerking around. I was just wondering if you knew what was going on and how much longer it was going to be going on?" She asked, McCoy sighed and grabbed the bridge of his nose.

"The Klingons blew up the planet and now their ship is after ours. You might want to finish up with her because I can guarantee that we'll be flooded within a few minutes." Claire sighed and nodded before walking away. She stumbled as the ship lurched again. This was not going to be easy.

"So how long will it be?" Anna asked.

"I have to take care of it now, the ship is being attacked," Claire said. Anna paled and watched her move toward her warily.

"Wait, Claire-"

"No time!" Claire quickly injected the serum and Anna flinched.

"Ouch!"

"Sorry, but it's healing," Claire said. Anna went to stand up, and faltered very slightly.

"Great, off to my post," she said, taking off.

"Wait, you… oh fuck it."

* * *

Ryan began to type in a few things on his computer, making sure everything was running smoothly. He needed to make sure there was no way any of the Klingons could beam onto the ship, and so far everything was good. The ship shook and he grabbed onto his chair to keep him steady.

"Commander!" a voice called. He turned around and raised an eyebrow.

"Lopez… what the-"

"I'm better… where am I needed?" she asked. He paused and sighed.

"Where ever you can be. Make sure you don't get-" he was cut off when something hit the ship and he almost fell on the girl. Thoughts of the impending attack were pushed aside as Ryan stopped himself at least an inch above the surprised girl. They were practically nose to nose as Ryan tried to push himself up. The ship jerked again and this time, he fell onto of Anna.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry," he said, rolling to the side. Anna sighed as he jumped to his feet as the sweet smell of his cologne faded from her nose.

"It's fine, no harm done," she said as he offered his hand.

"Here, let me help you up. We've got work to do," he said as his grasped her delicate small hand.

"Thanks. Alright, let's get to work."

* * *

"Damnit, Sulu… get us out of here!" Jim shouted. Sulu frantically began to type some things into his computer and turned toward the Captain.

"I'm trying sir, the Klingons are matching our speed!" Jim sighed and turned to Chekov.

"Fire everything we've got at them, but make sure that we hit some vital parts." Chekov nodded and began typing something as well.

"Yes Keptin!" he called. Jim pressed a button on his chair.

"Scotty, we need to get out of here!" he called.

"_I'm working on it! He bastards hit a deck on engineering and we're a bit slow. Give me five minutes and I'll be able to make her go a bit faster!"_ Jim nodded.

"Sir, zee ship has been hit!" Chekov called.

"They're slowing down, we're outrunning them!" Jim gave a sigh of relief as the ship moved forward faster, and the jerks in the ship stopped.

"We have outrun the enemy ship, Captain," Spock said.

"Great… Next time Starfleet asks us to do something like that, tell them we're done with the crazy camping trips," Jim said. Spock nodded.

"Yes, Captain."

* * *

Claire ran across the room, helping a man onto the bed. Surprisingly, there wasn't a whole lot of wounded, and the medical crew was thankful for it. Those who were wounded were taking up most of sickbay, and they were short of doctors.

"Liam, I need help!" Claire called. Liam ran over and looked at the patient, flinching at the sight of his broken bone.

"Gross," he muttered.

"Conaway, I have two men in need of surgery!" McCoy shouted. Claire sighed and grabbed a pair of gloves.

"Yes sir," she said. They wheeled them into the back and began surgery, while Liam and Alex were in the front.

"Next time we go back to earth, tell Kirk that we need more doctors, four isn't cutting it!" Alex snapped. The door opened and a few security personal walked in.

"Jesus, what is wrong with you?" Liam snapped.

"A computer system flipped out on us and a few people got hurt," Ensign Sheppard said.

"Ugh, take a number and get in line," Liam said. The doors opened once more, and this time they were met with the Captain, Spock, and Sulu.

"No! If you all are hurt you're going to have to wait. McCoy and Claire are in surgery and Liam and I are swamped!" Alex snapped. Kirk raised an eyebrow.

"I'm the captain," he stated. Alex merely glared at him.

"I don't care. Since the two higher ranking doctors are in surgery, I'm in charge of sickbay so get out," he snapped again. Liam passed by and placed a hand on Alex's shoulder.

"He means, try coming back when we're not so busy. Please and thank you," he told them before rushing off to treat another patient. Spock and Sulu didn't move, merely following their captain. Kirk sighed.

"Fine, tell Claire I'll talk to her later then." Alex nodded thought he was still focused on glaring at the captain.

"Fine." Without another word, Kirk reluctantly turned around and exited sickbay with Spock and Sulu at his tail.

* * *

Three hours later, two surgeries, and fourteen patients later, Claire finally took a break from all the action. Only one of the men who had gotten out of surgery needed to remain overnight and he was fast asleep. Sickbay was finally silent. She walked over to the medical station, where Liam and Alex were recovering, and leaned against Alex.

"You know you are covered in blood, right?" he asked. She glared at him and moved.

"I know, I've been in surgery all day," she muttered. Liam nodded.

"We need more doctors, it's not even funny," Liam said. She nodded and sat on the medical station.

"I think I should get a promotion, I do more work around here than either of you," she said.

"Well… we're busy!" Liam said.

"Making-out in the backroom doesn't count boys." Alex turned red at her statement, and Liam chuckled and smacked Alex's butt.

"Well… okay, we're not busy. But we're having fun!" he said. Claire sighed and went to run a hand through her hair, but stopped when she realized some of the blood on her shirt was on her hands.

"Damn…" she muttered.

"There should be a few extra uniforms in the back, if you wanted to wash up." Claire nodded and jumped off the station.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," she said. The boys nodded and turned back to each other.

"So… I was thinking that tomorrow, after we get off shift, you and I could meet in my room later and… well…" Alex blushed and gave an awkward cough.

"Well, I mean… that would be fun, but maybe we should just… hang out," Alex suggested. Liam frowned and went to speak, but stopped when the doors opened and Jim walked in.

"Oh… I knew I was forgetting something," Liam whispered. Jim ignored the statement and looked over at the two men.

"Hey, where is Claire?" he asked. Before Alex could speak, Liam covered his mouth.

"Backroom," he answered. Jim nodded and began walking in the direction. Alex looked at his boyfriend and raised his eyebrows.

"You know she is changing… right?" Liam just smiled and chuckled.

"Oh… I am well aware."

Jim could hear the two men talking, but didn't say anything as he opened the door a bit. He paused however, when he saw Claire pull her dress over her head, exposing her pale skin, and her black silk underwear. Jim felt his cheeks heat up and he backed up slowly and silently shut the door. She might have been his girlfriend, but he didn't want to come off as a pervert. Not to mention he was fighting the urge to shove her up against the back wall and fuck her senseless.

"Oh hey Jim, how long were you waiting for me?" Claire asked innocently as she opened the door and emerged fully clothed. Jim swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, trying to shake the images of a half naked Claire out of his head.

"Not too long, just wanted to properly say I missed you since I really didn't get to when I got back," he told her. His voice sounded a little nervous, but calmed down towards the end of his sentence.

"You okay?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at his behavior. As long as she'd known him, Jim had never really been nervous before.

"Yeah. Me? Fine. Great," he said, trying to brush it off. Claire went to open her mouth again and inquire about his behavior, but Jim leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. She instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, and his hands found their way to her waist. His lips were slow and moved sensually against her own. His tongue cautiously asked for permission to enter her mouth, and she granted it without a second thought. When he did, she moved closer to him and pressed her body against his, relishing the fact that he seemed to fit so well with her. He pulled away slightly and leaned down to kiss her jaw, then moved further down to kiss her neck.

"Jim," she breathed when he hit a certain spot on her neck. His hands on her waist tightened as a image of her being half-naked flew to mind, and he groaned at the thought. Claire paused when she felt his friend appear and she pulled away.

"No," he growled, pulling her back and attacking her lips with his. They were a bit more demanding as he assaulted them, but eventually pulled back and pressed his forehead against her.

"Jim… I'm sorry," she whispered. He sighed and caressed her cheek.

"Jesus, Claire… you're killing me," he whispered. Even his voice was strained. Claire sighed in defeat, because she wanted it. She wanted him. But she just wasn't ready yet.

"I'm so sorry, but I can't. Not yet," she apologized. Jim wiped his hand over his mouth, a nervous habit he'd picked up not long ago.

"I'm sorry for trying to push it. I'm just… it's just hard…" he started, but Claire giggled as her eyes lowered to his waist.

"I could tell." Jim blushed as he realized how awkward his comment had made the situation.

"Not like that… well yeah, actually it's exactly like that. I mean… it's just been difficult to not… I'm a pretty sexual guy, you know? And holding out is completely worth it, because you don't even know how much I care about you. It's just…" Jim searched to find the right words, but Claire shushed him.

"I understand. I'm sorry, I promise the moment I am ready, I'll let you know… okay?" he nodded and pulled away.

"Is um… is there any room around here that is sound proof?" he asked. She turned bright red and gave an awkward cough.

"The uh… the back room should be fine…" she said. He nodded and walked in there, causing her to practically run to the medical station.

"So… where is your boy toy?" Alex asked. There was a loud grunt and Claire's face turned bright red. She tried to keep her composure as she picked up a file.

"No clue," she muttered.

"CLAIRE!" This time she almost fell to the ground in embarrassment.

"Oh yeah, no clue huh?"

_

* * *

_

And to the reviews!

_**Sophia Gray  
**__**Raxsah: **__Yes, Ensign Creeper, it doesn't get much better. Alex allergic to pudding, gotta love random things like that. I'm sorry, The Kirk/Claire action is a little, slowish. I didn't want to rush them, but now that I go back and read, I realize it's painstakingly slow. Sorry, it get's better… eventually.  
__**Jeck: **__I had a feeling you guys would enjoy the allergy to pudding. THE IRONY! There's eventually going to be some parts that are just Kirk and Claire for like ten pages straight. We just kind of forgot we had other people in the story. lol _

_**SWfangirl21  
**__**Jeck: **__When we started writing Griffin, we had no intention of making him the bad guy. But then we did. He just kind of got eviler and eviler over time. Liam and Alex forever! Raxsah has me as her gay friend. It's probably not as awesome as having a gay guy as a best friend though… but she loves me anyway! Wow… your reviews always have so much to reply to! I LOVE IT! As a co-writer to a story to a reader, I love you. Just so you know. 3 Yeah, the Colleen pregnancy is going to be a big thing in later chapters, so stay tuned (as if this was a TV show or something lol). I hope this update was quick enough for you.  
__**Raxsah: **__A lot of comments on Ensign Creeper. All shall be revealed in time, hopefully we'll give you all the element of surprise. Jim always get's the shit beat out of him. It just doesn't feel like a story unless he's bloodied up. Your reviews are awesome. Not to play favorites, but it's nice to get the little notification on my iTouch and spend a few minutes reading it. Thank you. We're rooting for you!_

_**Amberhathaway  
**__**Raxsah: **__I love being a success. Don't worry, this story is VERY long. Longer than we probably initially intended. It won't end for a while, hell, the epilogue never seems to end. Don't worry, it'll be a while before you have to worry about it being over.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, this story probably won't be ending for while. Long after we've finished writing it. So don't you worry, you'll have something to read._

_**Lilly Romanov  
**__**Jeck: **__I totally agree with you. People get pregnant and they're like "OMG THE WORLD IS ENDING!" But yeah, no. The world won't end. Though I'd be lying if I didn't say it's going to turn everyone's world upside down.  
__**Raxsah: **__That's an understatement, things will go mad crazy! A baby isn't a bad thing, but they do tend to come at bad times. As we shall see._

_**Yayyou  
**__**Raxsah: **__I know, it's funny. Can't wait to see what he'll do next!… Wait…  
__**Jeck: **__Yes, yes we know. We're just awesome like that. ;)_

_**nickiR0x  
**__**Jeck: **__I'm glad we've got ourselves another loyal reader. Don't worry, we're not going anywhere anytime soon. Well, we are going to college. But yeah, there will be more fluff. Raxsah could get a degree in writing fluff.  
__**Raxsah: **__I could, I'm a hopeless romantic. You need fluff, give me a call… not right now though because I'm kinda busy… Leave a message at the sound of an awesome rave dance party. ::Rave Dance Party::_

_**Parallel Days  
**__**Raxsah: **__Don't apologize, we know all about the college thing. Well, Jeck knows more about the packing than I do, I'm staying home. But yeah. We enjoy your review all the same. You will always be our first official fan girl. : )  
__**Jeck: **__Trust me, I know exactly how you feel. I'm leaving in less than two weeks and I still have a crap load of packing to do. This Saturday is my last working day, which will open up more time to pack and write. And hang with Raxsah, of course. She's my person. And you should all be jealous. Hopefully, we'll see more reviews from you in the future._

_**Smiley  
**__**Jeck: **__Want to know a fun little fact? Raxsah was seriously laughing for a few minutes at your name. Why? That's a good question. We even out the lemons in the story. There's a few every once in a while. We'll be around for awhile, so don't worry about withdraw. And I would like to take this time to say that we're not responsible for the deaths of any withdrawing fan girls. Nor will we take death threats seriously. Just putting that out there.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, Thus the reason there was a lack of action for a couple of chapters. I'm secretly a prude. Hahahahaaa. We might need to have a contract that says fan girls are not allowed to die from withdrawal. Don't die! Please. And I was laughing because it made me smile and it was your name and… I'm tired. I work eight hours a day every day and I worked nine today. Sorry. XP_

_**Raxsah: **__Alrighty then. That is the reviews. We'd like to remind all readers that we have a set plot, and are going by that plot. We can't change it now… Plus it all turns out awesome in the end. And we're not responsible for any withdrawal symptoms.  
__**Jeck: **__The last thing we need is a lawsuit. Over fanfiction. That's kind of sad… JUST THREE MORE REVIEWS! And we've got a couple more contest ideas in the future, so if you really have something you want us to write about, there's still a chance if you're not reviewer number 50.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, don't stop lovelies! ::Pause:: Don't stop, believing! I love that song. Lol. We love reviews, alerts, and favorites. Please review! We're slightly desperate.  
__**Jeck: **__That going to be one the songs in my college marching band show! :3 I'm excited. Almost as excited as I am when we get reviews from our lovely readers.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yup, so please my dears, review and make us happy. We don't have much to be happy for at work… except when it's over.  
__**Jeck: **__And the money. Money doesn't make you happy, but it gets you things that'll make you happy. Just saying. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__Word. Till next time our readers!_


	16. Welcome to the Family

_**Raxsah:** So… this one time… at band camp…**  
Jeck:** We don't talk about that anymore…**  
Raxsah: **Truth. Hello all, we is back!**  
Jeck:** And we have a winner for our review contest!**  
Raxsah:** Parallel Days, congrats. SWfangirl21 came in very close though. Maybe next contest…**  
Jeck: **Which'll be announced soon. But not now. And I won the bet. HUZZAH! :3**  
Raxsah: **Good thing I didn't put money on that shit. I already spent a whole lot today. XP That's what happens when you get a payday and go to the mall.**  
Jeck: **I don't bet money. I bet sexual favors. You can all keep that in mind. ;P**  
Raxsah: **Yes… Anyway, thank you to all those who added this to their alerts lists and favorites list. We appreciate it.**  
Jeck:** We always do. NOW ONTO THE STORY!_

* * *

Chapter 16: Welcome to the Family

* * *

"God, I miss being on earth!" Claire said. Ryan chuckled and took a sip of his beer. Colleen nodded.

"Me too," she muttered.

"So, where is Kirk tonight?" Alex asked, taking a sip of his scotch.

"Yeah, I thought you would've brought him along," Liam said.

"No, he's out with McCoy and Spock. We're meeting for lunch tomorrow," Claire said. Ryan smiled, knowing that most of the reason for Kirk's absence was because of him. Colleen rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and looked at Rupert.

"Well, at least Rupert isn't alone," she said.

"I'm not alone, I'm with you guys," he said.

"Yes, but everyone here but you and Claire are here with their significant other. Maybe you should go try and get laid. You're only on earth for two more nights, live it up!' Alex said. Rupert rolled his eyes.

"You might have doubted me, but I've been getting plenty back on the ship," Rupert told them, taking a sip of his bloody Mary. Alex missed his mouth and his scotch dripped onto his shirt. Everyone at the table laughed at Alex's reaction and Liam passed him a napkin.

"Jesus Christ, I can't take you anywhere. You'd think with your skills in bed you would have been able to get that in your mouth." An uncomfortable silence fell over the table as Alex's face went red.

"What is with you revealing every bit of your sexual life with us?" Rupert asked, raising an eyebrow at the male couple.

"Well, well, well… if it isn't my cousin, Ruppy Giles!" The whole table looked over at the platinum blonde making his way over to the table, while Rupert just gave a frustrated sigh.

"Randy, so wonderful to see you," Rupert said. The guy named Randy flinched a bit at his name, but continued on.

"I'm surprised you're actually at a bar, you always were a bit stuffy back home. And by a bit, I mean you never left the God damn house," Randy said.

"Bloody hell, what do you want, Randy?"

"Just stopping by to say hello, and… as always, Spike is the name," the man said. Rupert rolled his eyes.

"Why are you in San Francisco? London get too boring?" Liam leaned over to Ryan, who was watching the exchange carefully.

"Who is this guy?" he asked. Ryan shrugged.

"No clue…"

"Well, seeing as Starfleet is in California-"

"You're in Starfleet? How the bloody hell did you get into Starfleet?" Rupert snapped.

"For fucks sake, you make it sound like it's difficult. You send in a application and bullshit your way through everything else. I mean, that test to get in was pretty damn easy, just pick the most complicated answer," Spike snapped. Rupert ran a hand over his face and gave a frustrated sigh.

"Oh for fucks sake," he muttered. Claire frowned and patted his shoulder.

"Need some hard liquor?" she asked. He nodded.

"You have no idea," Rupert muttered.

"Well… hello Blondie," Spike said, a large smirk on his face. Ryan stood up, glaring at the man who had gelled back his blonde hair.

"Leave her alone," he demanded. Both Colleen and Claire rolled their eyes at his behavior, but Spike just laughed.

"Who are you, the boyfriend?" Claire cringed at the thought.

"No, he's my brother. Regardless, I have a boyfriend," she stated. Spike's arrogant smile never left his face.

"I see the resemblance now. Well, I'm glad we're not practicing any incest here, if you know what I mean, mate. I take it that fine woman over there is yours then, pretty boy?" Spike said, gesturing over to Colleen who folded her arms angrily. Obviously, no one was really particular to the newcomer.

"I like him, he's obnoxious!" Alex declared. Spike sneered and picked up Alex's scotch before taking a seat in Liam's lap.

"I like this one right here," he said, sipping the scotch and wrapping his arm around Liam's neck.

"Guys, meet Randy Giles. He's my bisexual cousin," Rupert introduce, finding it harder and harder to watch his cousin's behavior. Spike shot a glare a Rupert.

"Ruppy, how many times do I have to tell you, the name is Spike. Bloody hell!" Spike snapped as he unconsciously ran a hand through Liam's short hair. Alex felt his blood boil as he watched the man practically molest his boyfriend.

"Can you please get your hands out of my boyfriends hair?" he snapped. Spike smirked and took another sip of his scotch.

"Interested in a threesome?" he asked. Alex turned red and Liam gently pushed the man off of his lap.

"No, we're not. Thanks for the offer though," Liam snapped. Spike sighed and looked over at Ryan and Colleen.

"Nope, not even going there," he said. Ryan clenched his fist and Colleen simply placed her hand on his shoulder.

"He's not worth it," she told him. Spike chuckled and downed the rest of his drink.

"Well… that leaves me and you Blondie… since I'd really rather not get into it with my cousin. Not only is that incest, but that's be a really awkward fuck," he said. Rupert placed his head on the table and let out a string of curses.

"I believe that leaves you alone," Claire muttered.

"Such a shame. Probably for the best though. I'm actually required to report for duty tomorrow so I can get ready to board a ship," Spike told them.

"Do I even want to know what ship you got assigned?" Rupert asked.

"The _Enterprise,_ apparently they are short on doctors." Half the table groaned, and Spike just raised an eyebrow. "I have the strange feeling that I'm not welcome."

"Because you aren't!" Rupert snapped. Spike leaned across the table and patted his cousin on the cheek.

"It'd be awkward fucking you because you've got a stick up your arse all the time, Ruppy," Spike told him. Before anyone at the table could attempt an attack on his life, Spike rose from the table and left. Ryan turned to Rupert.

"You're related to an asshole," he muttered to his best friend. Rupert sighed and leaned back in the seat.

"Tell me about it…"

* * *

"You have no idea how relieved I am to see you!" Claire cried, flinging herself into Jim's arms. Jim laughed at her display as she leaned up on her tip toes to lock-lips with her boyfriend.

"Bad night?" He asked, guiding her over to a table. They'd chosen to go somewhere simple for lunch, but it held a beautiful view of the beach. The soothing crash of the waves wasn't their only soundtrack for lunch as the low hum of conversation filtered through the restaurant.

"Not bad, just… tiring. I'm not really looking forward to going to work tomorrow," she said, sitting down. He chuckled and sat down across from her.

"Well, maybe if you ask nicely I'll kidnap you and we'll go far away," he said. She chuckled and took a hold of his hand.

"As lovely as that sounds, we'd get in huge trouble. Not to mention you would miss your ship too much," she pointed out. He sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, true. How about I make it up to you with a terrific lunch?" he asked. She smiled and watched as the waiter came over. They quickly ordered and watched as the waiter walked away.

"Did you have fun last night?" she asked. He nodded.

"Relatively, Spock was a bit of a buzz kill, but it was fun to watch Bones get drunk as shit," he said. Claire chuckled and leaned back in her chair, enjoying the feeling of the sun lightly caressing her skin. Jim smiled as he saw the unconscious movement. The sun seemed to make her skin glow and her grey eyes seem almost silver. Her blonde hair was down in waves, and framed her face a bit. She was gorgeous.

"Sounds better than Rupert's sex crazed cousin hitting on the whole table," she said. He raised his eyebrows.

"Rupert has family?" Claire chuckled.

"Of course he has family. He just never talks about them. You think he just magically appeared out of nowhere as a baby?" She asked with a giggle. Jim shrugged.

"Who knows when it comes to the British. I try not to think about it," he said with a smile, taking a quick sip of water. Claire smiled.

"Right, well anyway, he was trying to get in a threesome with Liam and Alex as well as my brother and Colleen," Claire told him, images from the previous night going through her head. Jim gave her a puzzled look.

"Seriously?"

"Sadly. He tried to hook up with me too, but I told him I was taken," she explained as the waiter approached their table, his arms filled with their food.

"Here is your food," he said. Jim smiled.

"Thank you," he said. The man put the food down and Claire took a bite of her food.

"Mmm, this is good," she muttered. Jim nodded and looked at her.

"So… you said no to this… cousin?" he asked.

"Of course. Look, can we not talk about this, I'm here to hang out with you, and you weren't there last night. Come on, Jim… let's have fun. We have to go back to work tomorrow," she reminded him. Jim sighed and nodded.

"Fine," he replied.

"So, you want to see a movie after this? I heard they have that new action movie… what's it called. I can't remember, I think it's a remake of Mission Impossible," she said. He laughed and nodded.

"Sure, though, I might be a little distracted during the movie," he said. She raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" she asked.

"Well, when you have someone as gorgeous as you right next to you, it's a little difficult to pay attention," he said. She blushed and took a sip of her water.

"You're so full of it," she muttered.

"No way, I'm one of the luckiest guys around. You know how many men would gladly take you off my hands?" he asked. Claire dropped her fork and gave Jim a slight glare.

"Are you still stuck on that?" She asked. Jim rubbed the back of his head as he gave her an ashamed look.

"No… I wouldn't…" But Claire cut him off.

"Yes, you would. Jim, it was just Rupert's creepy cousin. You're my boyfriend and I would never cheat on you. You need to back off a bit with the jealousy thing," she said in a snappy tone. She wasn't completely angrily with him, because it just showed that he cared, but she didn't want him to turn into some creepy stalking guy who had to know where she was twenty-four-seven. She'd been there once before and wasn't going to go down that road ever again.

"I'm sorry, Claire. I truly, deeply am sorry," he apologized, giving her one of the most pathetic looks he could muster up. Claire sighed.

"It's fine. I just… I wish you would trust me. I wouldn't cheat on you. I'm more worried about you cheating on me," she said. He frowned.

"I'm not going to cheat on you Claire. We've been together for a couple of months now, I'm not going to cheat on you. I promise," he said. She sighed and took a sip of her water.

"Look, I don't want to talk about this. Can we just enjoy each other? Please?" she asked. He nodded and took hold of her hand, bringing it to his lips.

"Of course, so… about that movie…" She smiled and leaned over, kissing him lightly before turning back to her food.

* * *

"Can't I do this later?" Colleen asked. Claire gave a frustrated sigh as she tied her hair back. Ryan simply stood next to his girlfriend and watched as his sister fixed them both with a glare.

"Why? Where do you need to be?" Claire asked.

"Well… I have to be at my post, and Ryan needs to-"

"Colleen, Shut up. First of all… this is your child, you need to have an ultrasound. Second, this is the only time I'm free. We've gotten three new doctors and it is my job to help them out. Third of all, if you said no now, I'd have to force you to do it during my free time, and I'd rather spend my free time doing more important things. Like sleeping, eating, reading, or hanging out with my boyfriend. So you are going to shut up, get on the medical bed, and let me give you an ultrasound." Colleen paused but gave a frustrated sigh.

"Fine, let's get this over with," she said. Ryan awkwardly followed and sat in a chair next to his girlfriend.

"So… will we be able to find out if it's a boy or girl?" he asked. Claire shook her head and took her scanner out.

"No, not everything is developed, it's only eight weeks old. It probably still looks like a tadpole," Claire said.

"I'm growing a frog?" Colleen asked.

"No… then again with Ryan's genes you can never be to sure," Claire muttered.

"I'm not sure if that's an insult to me or you, seeing as we have the same genes," Ryan said.

"Here, found it. Here is your baby!" Claire said, showing the monitor to the two of them. Colleen just stared at it.

"It looks like a blob…" She mumbled to herself. She looked over at Ryan who's eyes were filled with awe at the little screen, obviously not hearing her comment.

"That's our son…" He mumbled. Claire placed at hand on her brother's shoulder, trying to hide the flood of emotions that were overwhelming her as well.

"It could a girl, Ry. Don't go picking up action figures and painting the baby's room blue yet," she told him, admiring the picture of her niece or nephew. Colleen looked back at the screen and felt a large weight press itself on her shoulders. Somehow, she just couldn't feel the same away about the blob. True, it was growing inside of her and was her child, but the picture didn't even look like a baby. It looked like a blob and nothing more.

"It's b-beautiful…" she lied, hoping to fool the Conaway siblings. Ryan seemed to buy it, but Claire raised an eyebrow and turned off the monitor.

"It looks healthy, eventually it'll start to develop more. Here you can see it's head, it's feet… huh…" Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I miscalculated. I mean… I thought you'd be around eight weeks, but… you see this right here," she said, pointing to something on the screen.

"Yeah?" Colleen asked.

"It's called the embryonic tail, and already it is disappearing-"

"My baby has a tail?" Colleen asked.

"It's technically a fetus, not a baby. So, yes, it has a tail. But it really shouldn't be disappearing until week nine. I… huh… I guess I just, miscalculated," Claire said, looking at the monitor.

"So… what does that mean? Is the baby alright?" he asked. Colleen looked at him and then back to Claire.

"Yeah, I mean… it just means the baby's due date is pushed up a bit. I can't believe I missed that," she mumbled. Colleen sat up.

"So… it's healthy, can I go?" Colleen asked. Claire looked a little taken back. Not too long ago, she was happy to be having a baby. Now, she seemed like she wanted anything but. Claire wondered what had happened that would change her mind.

"Sure, you are fit to report for duty," Claire said. Before Colleen could get up, Ryan pushed her back down.

"Actually, could you give us a minute, Claire-bear?" He asked, trying to hide a the giddy tone in his voice. Claire nodded, leaving the room to give them some space. Just as she was out the door, she sighed.

"What's wrong?" Liam asked as he looked up from the crossword puzzle he was doing, his pen dangling out of his mouth. Claire ran a tired hand through her hair.

"I need a shower…" she mumbled, leaning up against the wall.

"I repeat, what's wrong?" Liam sounded genuinely concerned this time.

"Nothing, yet. Something's up with Colleen though…"

* * *

"Colleen… I didn't know when would be the best time to do this, but after seeing our child, I feel like now is the best time because I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Colleen Stewart, will you be my wife?" Ryan asked as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black velvet box. Colleen gasped, unsure of what to say. He just smiled as he nervously opened the box and a small diamond ring was revealed.

"Ryan… I…" Colleen felt her eyes tearing up as swarm of emotions overtook her. Love, fear, insecurity, guilt… so many things overwhelmed her. She looked into his warm eyes and forced a smile on her lips.

"Colleen?" he asked.

"Yes… I will marry you," she said. He smiled and hugged her tightly.

"I love you, I love you so much!" he said, kissing her. She chuckled as he broke away and kissed her forehead.

"I love you too," she said.

"I need to tell Claire," Ryan stated. She smiled as he ran out of the room to tell his sister, leaving her behind. She looked down at her hand where the diamond ring now lay and sighed. She turned and walked into McCoy's office, she needed to straighten something out, and she needed to do it now.

* * *

"He's engaged?" Alex asked. Claire nodded and wrote a few things on Colleen's chart. It had been an hour since her brother and his girlfriend- fiancée- were in sickbay, and they were still waiting for the new doctors to show up.

"Yup, as of… one hour ago," Claire said.

"You don't sound so happy," Liam pointed out.

"I am… I mean… it's great. It's just. Colleen's reaction to the baby was weird." Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Weird… like how?" he asked. Before Claire could reply, the doors opened and the three new doctors walked in. Liam rolled his eyes when they saw the familiar platinum blonde hair.

"Alex, we need to go somewhere else… now!" Liam said, picking him up and dragging him to the back room. Claire was a little too late to realize that the men had left her alone to deal with the new doctors.

"What? You just. LIAM!" She hissed, but received no response. She could make out Liam and Alex's eyes from around the door, but sighed. They would pay later.

"Miss me, Blondie?" Spike asked, hopping onto a table instead of taking a seat. The other two doctors watched him, but said nothing. Claire folded her arms.

"Get off the table, Spike. It's not a chair," she snapped. Spike just sneered and pulled out a bottle of beer.

"Lighten up, chickadee," he said with a smirk as he took a nice long swig of beer. Angrily, Claire crossed the room, snatched the beer out of his hands, and shoved him off the table.

"Get in line with the other two or I'll make sure you'll be working graveyard shifts for the rest of the-" Before Claire could finish, the door to McCoy's office slammed shut. McCoy crossed the room with a scowl on his face and stopped in front of Claire.

"Some example you're setting, Dr. Conaway. I believe drinking while on shift is a week worth of graveyard shifts," he snapped. She raised an eyebrow.

"Me? Sir, with all do respect, you have at least seven bottles of whiskey in your desk. And this is Doctor Giles's beer not mine. I don't drink beer." McCoy's face turned red and clenched his fists.

"Graveyard shift for a week, Doctor Conaway! Which one of you runts is Doctor Giles?" Both of the other two doctors looked to Spike, who had sat back on the counter.

"Oh… yeah, me…" He said.

"You? Get your ass of the counter!" McCoy snapped.

"No thanks," Spike said. Claire's eyes went wide and she took a few steps back. The other doctors exchanged looks and stepped back themselves. McCoy took a step forward and grabbed the front of his shirt.

"Listen, I don't give a rat's ass who you think you are, but you're in my God damn sickbay. That means you'll be doin' what I say, when I say it? So you can take your punk ass off that counter and do work! Do you understand me?" he snapped. Spike paused for a moment before nodding.

"Sure mate… whatever…" he said. McCoy clenched his fists and pushed him away.

"Two weeks worth of graveyard shift. You will answer to either me, or Doctor Conaway, is that understood?" Spike rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, sure… whatever," he muttered. McCoy took a deep breath and turned to walk away, not before grabbing the bottle from Claire and throwing it away. Spike rolled his eyes.

"Big Doc on campus, I see. Well, what are we stuck doing today?" He asked, before taking a seat back on the counter. Claire grabbed the bridge of her nose.

"Dr. Giles, why don't you go sort through the boxes of medical supplies we got while we were on earth," she instructed, gesturing to the corner where at least five crates sat waiting. Spike shrugged and headed towards the boxes. Claire let out a sigh of relief and turned back to the other new doctors.

The first seemed to be a young man who probably joined Starfleet right out of high school. He had an eager look on his face, his hazel eyes sparkling with excitement. His dirty blonde hair was combed to the side, showing his overly large forehead. Claire tried to hold back a giggle seeing as the boy barely looked like he hit puberty. The other doctor, a woman, looked as if she'd seen a lot of things in her young life. Pale green eyes scanned the room and her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail to stay out of her way. All in all, she seemed ready for anything that might come her way.

"Let's see… who do we have here…" Claire glanced down at her chart, but found it pointless as the young man stepped forward.

"The name is Jackson Carter! I'm so hyped to be here serving under such an amazing doctor as yourself!" Claire raised an eyebrow in surprised as he offered his hand. She accepted the friendly gesture, but was mildly taken back by how forward he was.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Jackson. And you are?" She asked, turning to the woman.

"Sophie Rogers," she stated, not bothering to greet Claire. Claire was a little put off, but simply shrugged it off.

"Cool. Well… Sophie, what type of medical field are you going into?" Claire asked.

"Trauma," she answered. Claire nodded.

"Good, Alex has a new friend. Go to the back room, knock three times and wait until a guy names Alex steps out. Just don't go in there," Claire said. The woman raised an eyebrow, but did as she was told. Claire then looked to Jackson, who was smiling widely at her.

"So, who am I working with? Am I working with Doctor McCoy?" he asked. Claire snorted.

"No, let's just figure out what you want to go in…"

"I want to do it all, surgery, trauma, general. Everything!" he said. Claire paused and nodded.

"I see… well, for now, you can help Doctor Peterson, later we can figure out what's going on," Claire said. He smiled and walked off to find Liam. Claire rolled her eyes at the new recruits and walked behind the counter of the med station and began to work.

"So, Doctor Blondie… how long do I have to keep doing this shit?" Spike asked.

"Till it's done, now get back to work," she snapped.

"How about I give you a good time and I don't do anything?" Claire raised an eyebrow.

"A good time? You… oh just… get back to work!" she snapped. Spike grinned.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I'm going into?" he asked. Claire shook her head.

"I don't care. Stop talking to me, I don't give a damn about what you are doing," she snapped again. Spike sighed and turned back to the boxes. McCoy's squeaky door opened again and Claire was surprised to see Colleen walk out.

"Oh, hey Claire," Colleen said nervously as she gently shut McCoy's door behind her. Claire nodded in her direction.

"Hey. I thought you left awhile ago with Ryan?" She asked, her suspicions growing stronger every time she saw her brother's fiancée.

"Yeah, well I was talking to McCoy about… you know, getting a medical excuse once I get farther along into the pregnancy. I don't want to get in trouble with Scotty for being out with an excuse," she explained. Claire nodded, not entirely believing the reason.

"Oh, okay… I guess I'll see you at dinner," she said. Colleen nodded.

"Yeah, sure… see you then," Colleen said. She didn't spare Claire a second look as she walked out the door, leaving the young doctor bewildered and confused.

* * *

Ryan gave a sigh as he began going through a few crew members files. It was his job every time they got new recruits to go through them and see if they are legit, and they picked up half a crew this time. So tonight, he was working late, much to Colleen's disappointment.

"Hey commander, I have a few more files…" Ryan looked up to see Anna standing next to him. He gave a sigh and ran a hand through his hair.

"They just keep coming," he muttered. Anna chuckled and sat down next to him.

"Need any help?" she asked. He paused then nodded.

"Sure, that would be appreciated," he said. She smiled and picked up a file.

"No problem. Back when Commander Harris was Chief of Security, I ended up doing most of this stuff," she admitted.

"Really? You don't have to if you don't want to." She shook her head.

"No, it's fine. I don't mind doing something like this. Keeps me busy, you know?" he nodded and they went through some files.

"So… how long have you been on this ship?" he asked.

"A while, my older brother wanted to join Starfleet, but really hurt his back when he was nineteen. When he couldn't joined, I did," she told him.

"Do you just have an older brother? Or other siblings?" he asked.

"No, I have two younger brothers, and four older brothers. Who do you think taught me how to fight?" she asked. He chuckled and shook his head.

"I couldn't imagine having so many siblings. It's tough sometimes with just Claire," he admitted.

"See… I can't imagine not having them. I call them everyday." Ryan nodded and smiled.

"Going through these files is so much better with good company," he said with a warm smile. Anna returned the smile before they both turned back to the files.

* * *

"I heard from Bones that you're stuck on the graveyard shifts this week for drinking on duty," Jim said, causing Claire to jump in fright. Sickbay was quiet after everyone else had headed to bed and Spike was off doing another errand for her. It was just her and Jim. Her heart was still racing from the scare as he crossed the room to where she was standing and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I was taking it from one of the new doctors and got in trouble for it. You know trying to reason with him, it's impossible," she told him, leaning back into his embrace. Jim nodded and placed a kiss on her neck.

"Tell me about it. Well, I figured I'd bring you a midnight snack. And I brought food with me too," he told her with a smile as she giggled at his lame attempt at a joke.

"Really? I haven't had a chance to eat," she said. He smirked into her neck and tightened the grip on her waist.

"You shouldn't go long without something to eat. I bet you're thirsty too," he whispered. She turned bright red and turned around in his embrace.

"James Kirk!" a wide smile made it's way to his lips as he leaned forward.

"I love it when you say my name," he told her.

"Jim?" she asked.

"James. Plus when you say it when you are mad it makes you even more sexy," he said softly. She blushed and lightly bit her bottom lip.

"Oh really, I wonder what would happen if I said your full name?" she asked.

"Hmm, how about you lie on one of those medical beds and we find out?" he asked.

"How about you show me some of the actual food you brought, because I actually am starving," she said. He frowned and sighed.

"Ruin all my fun," he muttered. She chuckled and watched as he set a small box of food next to her.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Just a sandwich, I asked Liam what kind of sandwich you ate and packed accordingly," he said. She pulled out the sandwich and chuckled.

"Peanut butter and jelly. You really do know me," she said. He laughed and took out his own small pack of chips.

"Who doesn't like peanut butter and jelly?" he asked. She shrugged and took a sip of her glass of milk.

"So, how was your day?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Alright, the life of a captain is very busy. I pretty much just introduced the new members and went back to my captain thing. How was your first day?" he asked.

"Alright. Other than dealing with annoying new doctors, it was pretty good. Except for Colleen," she said.

"What's wrong with Colleen?" She sighed and finished her sandwich, really being that hungry. She grabbed a packet of cheetos and began munching on them.

"I don't know. She just… wasn't excited to see her baby." Jim furrowed his eyebrows.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I don't know. I mean… if you are engaged and pregnant, you should be more excited to see your child. It's like… you helped to make that. You have a living child growing inside of you, one that you created out of love with another person. You should be talking about baby names and getting ready to buy clothes and… other stuff. You don't call your baby a blob!" Claire ranted. Jim paused as he watched his girlfriend go off about the baby.

"I mean… God, you're going to bring a child into this world, you should be jumping for joy. I mean, the look on Ryan's face was priceless. He was just so happy and… I mean I even almost cried. You should be so excited to just see if that baby has your eyes or his nose or… something like that. God… not to mention you're going to get married! You should be on top of the world right now! Who wouldn't be?"

"Yeah…" Jim whispered. Claire finished her dinner and looked at Jim, raising an eyebrow at his pale face.

"Jim-"

"I don't want to have a kid," he stated suddenly. Claire paused and blinked a few times.

"Okay."

"I mean… I eventually want kids. Lots of kids, maybe not lots. I mean, two or three would be nice, but not right now. And I don't want to get married either, not for a bit. Like maybe a few months I might think about it, but it's just too soon. I'm not father material yet, nor husband material. I'm sorry if you feel differently but… I just can't," Jim said. Claire was frozen for a minute, but then nodded slowly.

"Okay…" she said. He raised an eyebrow.

"Okay? You're… okay with this?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yeah, I mean… I don't want to get married or have kids either," she stated.

"You… you don't?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Jim, we've only been dating for three months. We haven't even had sex yet. What makes you think I want to get married or have kids?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I don't know. Normally when a girl brings this kind of stuff up, they start hinting towards their own relationship. I just wanted to be honest with you in that I'm not ready for that yet," he told her. For a moment, Claire looked at her boyfriend with a blank stare. Jim raised an eyebrow, but she burst out laughing seconds later.

"I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you. Well, yeah, actually I kind of am. No Jim, I'm just legit talking about Colleen here. No need to worry," she reassured him. They both broke out into laughter as Claire finished cleaning up her meal. Jim reached over and pulled her against his chest.

"Well, maybe people just react differently to that kind of stuff. You're probably just worried since she's going to be apart of your family now and you don't want her to hurt your brother," he said. She shrugged and leaned against him.

"I know. I'll just be so much happier when this is all over," she confessed. He nodded and pulled he closer.

"Well until then, you have me to distract you," he said, leaning down and pressing his lips onto her neck. She sighed and leaned into the kiss and closed her eyes.

"You have this thing with my neck, don't you?" she asked softly. He chuckled and pulled away.

"Is there somewhere else you would like me to assault?" he asked. She chuckled and stood up, throwing out some left over trash. Jim stood up as well, and took a hold of her waist when she walked closer to him. "Well?" he asked. She paused and shrugged.

"I don't know, let's start with your choosing, and if any come to mind I'll let you know." He chuckled and leaned down, capturing her lips with his. Her hands rested on his shoulder as his mouth moved furiously against hers. She gave a small moan when his hands traveled slowly across her skin, which caused him to groan and set her down on the desk. Her hands traveled up and tangled themselves in his hair. Jim grunted, moving his lips down to lightly kiss her jaw, before resting on her neck once more. Claire quickly moved his head back up to her lips before moving down to assault his neck.

"Claire," he hissed. Claire simply smiled as his body shuddered when her teeth lightly scrapped his skin. His grip on her waist tightened and she continued to burry her face in his collarbone. His hands lightly moved down to her thigh, and moved up slowly. Claire could feel the cold air hit her skin, but was too busy to care.

"Sorry to interrupt your shag-fest, but I've got that damn file for you," a voice said. Claire pulled away and looked at the door, where Spike stood, a large smirk on his face.

"God damnit…" Jim hissed.

"Spike… uh… I need you to go in the storage room and restock the medical shelves," she said.

"Looks like you need to pull down your skirt. Though, that is a lovely pair of purple lace panties you're wearing. Victoria Secret model number seven right?" he asked, taking a sip of his beer.

"Spike!" she hissed. She tried to moved her skirt, but Jim was still in the same position he was a few minutes ago.

"Right, right… I'm going," he muttered, walking to the back room. When the door closed Claire gave a heavy sigh and buried her face in Jim's shoulder in order to hide her embarrassment.

"Jackass…" Jim muttered. She sighed and pulled away and jumped off the counter.

"I should get back to work," she told him. He nodded and sighed.

"Yeah, I actually have some paper work to do," he said. She nodded and kissed him.

"Shall we continue this later?" She asked with a wink. Jim just smiled.

"Most definitely."

* * *

"CLAIRE!" Claire looked up from her patient to see Ryan charging through sickbay.

"Yes, please come speeding through sickbay. It's not filled with injured people or expensive medical equipment or anything," she muttered to him as she dismissed her patient. Ryan didn't say anything as he practically lunged at his sister, grabbed her shoulders with a horrorstruck look on his face.

"You know that space station we're stopping at today?" He asked through his panting. Claire nodded slowly, mildly frightened by her brother's behavior.

"Yeah, why?" She asked slowly.

"I just got a message… mom and dad are going to meet us there!" He exclaimed.

"What? Why?" she asked.

"I don't know. They said that they know we're 'seeing' people and they want to meet them too! FUCK!" he snapped. Claire ran a hand through her hair and gave a frustrated sigh.

"How the hell did they find out?" she asked.

"You know mom, Spawn of Satan, she has eyes fucking everywhere." Claire nodded.

"Damn, well… we could always say that we're busy with work. Or something…" Ryan shook his head.

"No, that doesn't help us. That just means Satan will find away to get on the fucking ship," he told her.

"Okay, Ryan… you seriously have to use a word other than fuck." He began to pace for a moment before looking at her.

"What should we do?" he asked. She sat on the medical bed and frowned.

"I don't know… we're fucked."

* * *

"You want me to meet your parents?" Jim asked. Claire gave a sigh as he began to massage her tired feet.

"No, I don't want you to meet them, they want to meet you," she said. He raised an eyebrow and continued to work on her feet.

"I thought they didn't talk to you or Ryan…" he muttered.

"They don't want anything to do with Ryan, but I guess they found out about Colleen and are flipping out. They try to send me messages every now and then," she confessed. Jim scratched his chin.

"So Colleen and I get to meet the parents. Sounds like fun," he said, resuming his work on her feet. She gave a slight groan as he hit a tender spot, but relaxed against his touch.

"Not at all. I'm expecting this to be bad. Just… put on your charming James T. Kirk face and hope for the best, I guess. Oh, and don't mention anything about sex around my dad unless he brings it up," Claire warned, close her eyes as the soothing sensation in her feet began to eyes to feel heavy.

"I shall be the perfect boyfriend for mommy and daddy then," Jim confirmed.

* * *

"You want me to meet your parents?" Colleen asked as Ryan paced the room, a conflicting look on his face.

"Well… not really. It's not personally, it's just that my parents hate me and whoever I'm dating. But I want them to meet the girl who I'm going to spend the rest of my life with," he confessed. Colleen rose from their bed and crossed the room to her stressed fiancé.

"Calm down, I'm sure it won't be that bad. And besides, no parent could hate their kid. Especially not one as smart and handsome as you," Colleen told him reassuringly. Ryan sighed as she pulled him down into a kiss.

"If handsome played into the equation of how much a parent loves their child, I'd be mildly concerned." Colleen chuckled and shook her head and simply kissed him.

* * *

Claire gave a frustrated groan as she pulled on the sleeve of her dress. She decided to wear a long sleeve black dress that came down to her knees, and wore her hair up. Jim stood next to her, a black dress shirt and dress pants, looking as fine as ever.

"Claire, you need to relax," he whispered.

"I can't… my parents are in there, and Ryan is late. Ugh… can we just leave?" she asked. Jim shook his head.

"No, you promised Ryan he wouldn't have to go trough this alone… you can't just leave him," Jim said. Claire paused before a wicked smile came to her lips.

"What if I dragged you to the coat check-in and took off my dress?" she asked. Jim froze as he looked at her, then gave an awkward cough.

"Are you… are you serious?"

"Sorry we're late…" Ryan said. Jim held back a groan and smiled at him as he came into view. He wore a pair of black dress pants and a red dress shirt, while Colleen wore a dark red short sleeved dress that went down to her knees.

"Come on, let's get this over with," Colleen said. Claire nodded and Jim grabbed her hand, walked through the entrance. Claire took a glance around the restaurant and cringed as she spotted her parents.

Her father sat at the head of a long table, his dirty blonde hair graying quite a bit, but didn't make him seem much older. His stony grey eyes scanned the scotch in his hand, though they were no where near as expressive as Ryan or Claire's, they were calculating and critical. He seemed like a fairly fit man, but seemed to have lost a little muscle around the middle. His suit was high class, and everything about him practically screamed high class business man.

Her mother sat at the other end of the table, her nose practically stuck in the air. Her platinum blonde hair was tied back in a tight bun, and Claire debated taking her own hair out of it's French bun. Her pale blue eyes scanned the menu, and were so cold they seemed to freeze anything she looked at. Her designer dress hugged her skinny frame, and at one point it was suggested that she once had a killer figure, but it seemed to waste away over time. Claire leaned over to Ryan and grabbed his shoulder, allowing her to reach his ear.

"Kill me now," she whispered. Ryan leaned over to her ear.

"Only if you kill me first," he mumbled back. The crossed the room, dodging all the waiters and the chairs of the many rich patrons that had to decided to dine there. After all the ducking and weaving, Claire and Ryan stood in front of their parents table, hands grasped tightly with their significant other.

"Well at least he's not gay," Adrienne Conaway muttered to her husband, not even bothering to hide the loathing for her son. Charles Conaway looked Colleen up before motioning for them to take a seat.

"Perhaps she's a male to female transsexual," he offered, smirking at the hurt look on Colleen's face at the comment. Ryan clenched his fists, but Claire put on hand on his shoulder, a sign for him to bite his tongue.

"Pleasure as always," Claire muttered to him. They were seated so Claire and Jim were on one side of her parents, and Colleen and Ryan sat across from them.

"Claire, darling… good to see you well," Charles said.

"Dad…" she said.

"And who is this gentleman?" her mother asked.

"James T. Kirk, ma'am," Jim said, offering his hand. She shook it and he shook her fathers hand.

"What a fine young man… I suggest you try your hardest not to screw up this relationship Claire," Adrienne snapped. Claire pressed her lips together and gave Ryan a look that said 'if you don't find a way to shut her the fuck up I will stab her with a spoon.'

"Mother, Father… this is Colleen Stewart…" Ryan said.

"Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Conaway," she said softly. Ryan and Claire's parents said nothing as they looked at her, and Claire instantly felt bad for the girl.

"I am Charles Conaway, this is my wife Adrienne. We appreciate that you both could meet us, Miss Stewart, Mr. Kirk," he said. Claire scrunched her nose at hearing her father address Jim as 'Mr.', even Jim flinched a little.

"Pleasure is our sir," Jim said. Colleen gave him a look as if to say 'speak for yourself.'

"We're glad you could make it too, Claire. Oh, and Ryan… it was nice of you to actually show up to this meal," Adrienne said. Ryan pressed his lips together and tried not to glare at his mother.

"Pleasant as always, mother," Ryan said. Claire just took a deep breath and almost sighed in relief as liquor was placed in front of her.

"Claire, a White Russian is not suitable for a young lady in high society." Claire pressed her lips together and tried not to jump her mother.

"Oh gosh, what was I thinking? Do you want me to go quickly throw it up in the bathroom? I might have to call Joyce Feldman, I hear she's an expert on that type of thing," Claire snapped, taking a large sip of her drink.

"Claire, that is inappropriate! For your information, Joyce Feldman has gotten married, and she and her husband are very happy," her mother snapped. Claire turned to Ryan.

"Must've kicked the habit." Ryan chuckled and shook his head.

"She's a fashion model now," Adrienne said proudly.

"Oh, even better. She fit's right in!" Jim tried to hid a laugh, but a small smile broke through. Adrienne Conaway frowned.

"It's better than going around playing doctor, Claire Adrienne Conaway," her mother hissed. Claire flinched, quite visibly, and took another chug of her drink. Before Claire could reply, her father spoke.

"Mr. Kirk, what is it you do for a living?" He asked. Jim spared Claire a quick glance before turning to address her father.

"I'm a captain, sir. Captain of the _U.S.S. Enterprise_," he told him proudly, puffing out his chest a little for emphasis. Both Adrienne and Charles smiled.

"A captain? And you have your own ship? Good work, Mr. Kirk. I'm glad to see that my daughter has good taste!" Charles declared, awkwardly giving Jim a pat on the back. Adrienne clasped her hands together as she eyed Jim up, a small twinkle in her eye.

"Such class!" She squealed, fussing over Jim. He smiled and nervously rubbed his head and Claire relaxed a little. They approved, just as she expected. They probably expected him to be rich, powerful, and everything else that defined a man of high society. Ryan crossed his arms as Colleen fumbled with her napkin, already wishing the dinner date was over. She'd already been called a transsexual and her boyfriend had been called gay and they hadn't even met their waiter yet.

"So… what are you doing on that ship?" Adrienne asked Colleen.

"I'm… I'm an engineer, Ma'am," Colleen said. Adrienne raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. The waiter came over and took their orders, signaling the point of no return.

"I suppose that is a respectable career," Charles said. Colleen nodded and glanced down. Ryan simply gave her a sympathetic look. Maybe he could get his parents pissed enough to dismiss him from the table. Then again, that would leave Claire all alone.

"I personally don't see the interest in space travel, especially when I'm stuck around a ton of dirty, grungy, machines. Bizarre if you ask me," Adrienne said.

"No one was asking you," Claire told her. Adrienne sent her daughter a look, and took a sip of her wine.

"Claire, stop back talking your mother," Charles scolded. Claire went to open her mouth, but shut it again after seeing the look that Ryan was giving her. She bit her tongue, trying to resist the urge to snap at them.

"She's very good at it though, the ship has never run as well as it does now that she's onboard," Jim said, trying to defend Colleen. As soon as they sat down at the table, Jim had never felt so close to Ryan's girlfriend. They were in the same boat, the specimen on the table for the Conaway parents to exam. However, they didn't seem to like what they were seeing with her and Jim felt the need to protect one of his own.

"I'm surprised, I figured that she'd be distracting all those hardworking men with her fake chest," Adrienne said casually as she took a small sip of her wine. Ryan angrily slammed his fist down on the table, causing a few people in the restaurant to look towards their table.

"Stop belittling her. You might have a problem with me, but Colleen is smart, beautiful, and the girl I'm going to spend the rest of my life with!" He snapped. Claire placed her face in her hands, fearing where the conversation would go next.

"Oh, be realistic Ryan. You might love her now, but eventually it'll turn out to be just a fling," Adrienne said. Ryan gave a heavy sigh and clenched his fists.

"No, it's not just a fling, mother!" he snapped. Claire looked at him.

"Ryan, please… don't go there," she whispered. Jim simply looked at the situation, and Colleen turned deathly pale.

"Colleen is my fiancée, I'm going to marry her whether you agree to it or not. I'm not going to sit here and watch you insult the mother of my child," he snapped. The table became deathly silent and Claire pressed her lips together.

"You went there."

"You're what? How could you let this happen? What have you done?" Charles snapped. Jim looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He seriously wanted to know how his girlfriend could've came from these two.

"I have done nothing! You wanted to meet her, how are you going to invite me and my fiancée to dinner than insult us!" Ryan snapped. Colleen simply continued to stare at the table, trying to ignore the fighting.

"We were hoping you had finally come to your senses. We were wrong apparently," Adrienne hissed. There was a small silence before food was placed in front of them. The waiter could feel the tension from the table and had previously heard the yelling. He quickly gave them their food and darted away so they could continue. Ryan stared at the plate in front of him, but never bothered to even touch his silverware.

"I think I've already come to my senses, mother. If I try to let either of you two run my life, I'll be miserable. Having children… it just never fit into your life," he mumbled, glaring his parents down. Claire never looked up once, too focused on not getting involved. It was just like old times.

"You expect us to pay for your dinner after saying such horrible things to your mother and I? We did what we thought best!" Charles snapped, glaring his son down. Jim and Colleen looked back and forth between the two men, noting how their expressions were similar.

"We never asked you to pay for our dinners. It's always about money, never your kids. The best? The best thing that happened to you was when I left!" Ryan snarled at his father, who scoffed at his son's words. Adrienne remained silent, not knowing how to respond. Claire began to move some of the food on her plate around and bit her bottom lip lightly. Everyone else began to slowly eat, and Adrienne decided to use this as a topic change.

"So, Captain Kirk. When are you planning on marrying my daughter?" Both Claire and Jim almost choked on their food.

"MOTHER!" Claire hissed. Jim said nothing as he became deathly pale.

"Yes, that is a good question. I would like to know when you are going to make an honest woman out of my daughter," Charles said. Ryan gave a sigh. On one hand, he was glad that the conversation was no longer on him, but now another fight was about to start, which was always so much fun.

"Well… sir, I um… we just. It's difficult to explain…" Claire rolled her eyes.

"We're not getting married, not now, not soon, not for a while. If we even make it that long. No offense," she said to Jim.

"None taken," he said softly. Adrienne looked at her daughter and leaned toward her.

"Well, if you want him to marry him, I suggest you get pregnant as soon as possible, that's the only way you're going to keep him," she whispered to her, but the whole table could hear her. Jim turned even more deathly pale, Colleen ate her dinner without another word, and Ryan's face turned red with rage. Claire's mouth practically dropped to the table as her mother's words registered in her head.

"You're… a horrible woman!" She shot back. Adrienne leaned back in her chair and held a hand to her face.

"How dare you say that to me? I am your mother! I raised you from a tiny infant to the successful woman you are today!" She countered back. Without realizing what she was doing, Claire shoved her seat and rose to her feet.

"You may be my mother by blood, but you were never there for me. I am the way I am today because Ryan looked out for me. You did nothing, but shove handsome, rich men for me to marry. All you wanted was for me to get married and have babies. What kind of mother wants that from her child? And god forbid I bring up how you treat my brother!" Claire shouted at Adrienne, but her words were directed to her father as well. Jim tried to grabbed Claire's hand and calm her down, but there was no going back.

"Claire Adrienne Conaway, you will sit down and stop this nonsense," Charles snapped. Claire turned to him.

"And you! Oh my God, don't get me started. You have to be the biggest asshole in the world! I have never met a more egotistical and self-centered jackass. That's saying a lot too, look at my boyfriend!" she snapped.

"Claire! Sit down!" her father shouted.

"Fuck you! I've dealt with fucking Klingons scarier than you! You all need to get over yourselves!" Adrienne gave a sigh.

"Look what you have done, Ryan Tyler Conaway! You have corrupted your sister!" Adrienne cried. Claire paused and took her glass and threw it on the ground before shoving her chair on it's side.

"I'm out of here, go find someone else to fuck with!" she snapped, turning around and walking away. The table was silent before Jim stood up and offered a small smile.

"Uh… thank you for dinner," he said. No one at the table said anything as he turned around and walked off. Adrienne was speechless as Charles rounded on his son.

"What nonsense did you fill your sister's head with?" He snapped. Colleen put her fork down and turned to Ryan who was gripping the table for support.

"Ryan, let's just get up and leave. Don't start…" Ryan grabbed Colleen's hand within his own and silenced her with a quick kiss. He then rose to his feet and turned to his parents.

"After all these years, you still think it's me. But have you ever considered that it's all your fault, not mine," he told them, shaking with anger, but eerily calm. He didn't wait for an answer as he pulled Colleen out of the restaurant. Colleen was silent until they got back onto the ship and stood in the lift. Ryan was silently shaking with rage, and she was pretty sure he was close to punching a wall in.

"Ryan… you okay?" she asked. He sighed.

"No… I hate them. I hate them so much. Ever since I can remember they have been like that, always giving Claire the benefit of the doubt and tossing me aside like I was nothing. Then they go and insult you." He paused an ran a hand through his hair. Colleen just stepped toward him and hugged him. "I'm so sorry, you didn't deserve that. I never wanted to put you through anything like that."

"Don't worry about it. I knew from the beginning that your parent's weren't… pleasant. At least I've met them, so when we get married, it won't be so weird," she said. He nodded and pulled her closer.

"I love you," he whispered. She smiled and kissed his lips.

"I love you too."

* * *

Claire began pacing the hallway outside her room. She wanted to go in, but she temporarily forgot her key number, so was stuck outside.

"Claire, you alright?" she heard a voice ask.

"No! Can you believe them! I have never been so insulted in my life. Of course they loved you! Mr. I'm-captain-of-a-ship! Ugh, and did you see the way my mother looked at you? Like you are a piece of meat, it's disgusting. She's like… a trillion years old! And you know what, I'll get married when I want to get married! You're my boyfriend and I will decide when I want to have you child and if I want to keep it or not! Well, you'll be in that decision too, but that's not the point. Oh, and don't get me started on the way they treated Colleen and Ryan, I mean… hasn't the guy been through enough! They have to insult his marriage and shit! Ugh, I HATE THEM!" Claire yelled. Jim stepped forward and placed his hands on her shoulder.

"Claire, take a deep breath and calm down," he said softly. Claire pulled away from him and leaned across the wall.

"Normal parents, that's all I ever wanted. But no, I get stuck with them. Damnit, I hate them so much," she mumbled, her eyes glued to the floor. For years she'd put up with the same crap, but she was an adult and she was beyond their shit now.

"I kind of know the feeling, but I'm kind of glad that they were your parents." Claire looked up at Jim and gave him an angry confused look.

"Excuse me, what?" She hissed, feeling her anger begin to boil. Jim held up his hands in his defense.

"No, not like you deserve that because you sure as hell don't. I just mean… you might not be this amazing girl that I fell in love with. It's your life experiences who made you who you are today and if you'd have more loving parents, you might not be who you are now," he explained. She froze as the words sank in.

"Fell in love?" she asked softly.

"What?" he asked.

"You said you fell in love…" she whispered.

"Oh, I… I did," he muttered. There was a silence between them before she spoke.

"Are you?" she asked. Jim looked her in the eye, his heart swelling at the sight of her grey eyes looking slightly hopeful. Did he love her? They only had been going out for about three, close to four, months, but he had known her for almost a year. She made his heart skip a beat whenever she smiled, and his veins felt like they were on fire whenever her lips touched his. She was the only girl who he could feel so comfortable with without having sex. She was everything.

"Yes," he answered. Claire's breath caught in her throat as she stared a the man in front of her. Aside from making her stomach doing summersaults, and causing her veins to feel as if they were aflame, she felt a lot for him. He had always been there when she needed him, and was constantly thinking about her. She knew the moment he had kissed her she was caught.

She moved forward and practically flung her arms around his neck in order to pull him to her. Their lips didn't touch, but she let on hand run through his hair, while the other rested on his neck. His hands immediately went to her waist, and he watched her carefully.

"Say it," she whispered. He raised an eyebrow.

"Say what?" he asked. She looked up, her grey eyes meeting his blue.

"Say you love me," she demanded. He paused, and took a deep breath.

"I… I love you," he said. She smiled and pressed her body against his, in an effort to be closer with him.

"I love you too," she told him.

* * *

"Last night was a catastrophe," Ryan stated, taking a seat next to his sister. She shrugged. Claire looked up with a smile on her face and a cup of coffee in her hand. Her smile faltered when she saw her brother's tired grey eyes and noticed his sluggish motions.

"Are you okay?" She asked, slightly concerned. Ryan nodded and let his head fall into his folded arms. Claire used her free hand to rub the base of his neck, something he used to do for her when she was younger and stressed out. "Come on, Ryan, just tell me what's up?"

"I was up all night, worrying. Perhaps I'm making the wrong choice here. I mean, this is going to sound pretty stupid, but maybe Colleen and I are rushing into this…" he trailed off, turning his head slightly so he could peek out at Claire.

"Maybe. Then again, it might be overdue. I mean, living on a spaceship changes a lot of things. You become closer with people than you normally would," Claire said. Ryan sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"Maybe…" Claire chuckled and leaned toward him a bit.

"You don't have to get married right away, just drag it out for a bit. It'll be alright," Claire told him. He nodded and looked up as Anna walked into the dinning hall. He smiled softly upon seeing her joke with one of her security friends. He had been spending a good amount talking and hanging out. Next to Rupert, he really felt he was able to connect with her.

"Anna has a nice ass, doesn't she?" Claire asked. Ryan absentmindedly nodded and let his gaze drop down, before bringing them back up and looking at his sister.

"What?" he asked.

"I knew it! You like her!" she hissed.

"She's a friend. That's all," Ryan snapped.

"Oh please, there is something more than friendship there," Claire stated. Ryan glared at his sister and practically growled.

"There is nothing there. I love Colleen, I'm not going to betray her by starting something with Anna," he said. She rolled her eyes and watched as his eyes made their way to Anna once more. He liked her, for some reason, there was something about Anna that attracted him to her. She only hoped he didn't let that attraction get out of hand. As much as she was annoyed at Colleen, she didn't want to see her brother crush her.

"Alright, whatever you say, Ry," she said in a sing-song voice. Ryan rolled his eyes and glared at his sister.

"How can you even joke about that? I have a kid on the way with the woman I love and we're going to get married!" He snapped. Claire just shrugged.

"A few minutes ago, you were thinking that you guys were rushing it," Claire pointed out, turning to her breakfast. Ryan said nothing as he put his head back down in his hands.

"Rushing marriage. I love Colleen with all my heart and soul though," he stated, though his words were muffled by his arms. Claire still heard him and gave him a pat on his back.

"If you love her that much, then getting married shouldn't be a problem. Unless you want to play the field a little more before settling down," she suggested, playing a nice large piece of pancake in her mouth. She could hear her brother sigh in his arms before he pulled his head up and got to his feet.

"You're right, I shouldn't have any problems getting married now!" He declared before rushing off to the nearest door. Claire rolled her eyes as she turned her attention back on her food.

"Yeah, good-bye to you too," she mumbled.

* * *

"Let's get married now!" Ryan said. Colleen jumped a bit and almost dropped the small piece of machine in her hand.

"Uh… what?" she asked. Rupert looked up from his own work and watched the couple, but didn't say anything.

"Let's get married now. I could probably get Kirk to marry us, you just have to say yes," he said. Colleen raised an eyebrow and her eyes met his.

"Ryan, are you serious?" she asked.

"Yes! Why wouldn't I be?" he asked.

"Well… I wanted a church wedding. You know, with my family. I also wanted to wait until after the baby was born." Ryan sighed.

"I can't wait that long. I want to marry you now," he whispered, leaning forward and kissing her softly. She sighed and pressed her lips together.

"Okay, how about the next time we are on earth we do it," she said. Rupert clenched his fists and looked down, suddenly being extremely interested in his work. Ryan smiled and kissed her deeply.

"I love you," he said. She smiled.

"I love you too." He kissed her once more before going off to his post. When he was gone, Colleen gave a heavy sigh before burying her face in her hands.

"He doesn't know… does he?" Rupert asked. Colleen looked up and fixed him with a glare.

"No, and he's not going to find out!" Rupert sighed and walked over to her.

"Colleen, You never wanted to get married. You eventually wanted kids, but you never wanted to be married. So, why are you doing this?" he asked. Colleen sighed and pressed her lips together.

"Because I love him. And after everything that's happened so far, this kid is going to need a stable life with a stable family," she mumbled. Rupert sighed and returned to his post.

"You need to stop lying to him and tell him the truth. The _whole_ truth," he called across the room. Colleen said nothing as she sat in silence.

* * *

"Liam, I was kind of hoping we could talk," Alex said as he joined Liam and Claire in sickbay. Claire looked up from her patient, but Liam did not.

"No. We're not talking about this right now. I'm working and you should be too," Liam spat. Since she'd met him, she'd never heard Liam so serious and cold. She could even detect a hint of pain in his voice. Alex sighed and slumped forward.

"Please, baby. We need to talk about this…" Liam quickly finished with his patient, signed him out, and walked out of sickbay.

"Tell McCoy I needed a break," he called over his shoulder. It was an order, not a question. Claire raised an eyebrow as Alex crossed the room.

"What's up with you two?" She asked as her patient rose from the table and left, leaving Claire and Alex by themselves. Alex sighed.

"I denied Liam sex last night," he explained.

"Why?" Claire asked. Liam shrugged.

"I don't know, I mean… I thought that maybe we should try and see if there is more than just sex, you know?" Claire nodded.

"Yeah… did you tell Liam that though?" Alex paused.

"No…" Claire rolled her eyes.

"Then tell him stupid!" she muttered. Alex rolled his eyes and looked at another patient chart as Jackson and Spike stumbled into the sickbay.

"Oh, bloody hell! Don't you watch where you walk?" Spike snapped. Jackson turned bright red.

"I'm sorry! I was just-"

"Shut it, I really don't care," Spike snapped. Alex looked up and rolled his eyes.

"I hate new doctors, they're a pain in the ass," he muttered. Claire rolled her eyes and picked up her own patients chart.

"So, Blondie, what's the plan for today? Some healing, some stalking, wild crazy sex in the storage closet. I'll bring the protection," Spike said.

"Patient number eight is having abdominal pains, go make sure they aren't dying." Spike frowned.

"Is that a no on the sex?" he asked.

"That's a hell no, now get to work!" Claire snapped. Spike rolled his eyes and walked away. Alex chuckled and she turned toward him.

"What?" she asked.

"You're a mini-McCoy. It's cute," he said. She rolled her eyes and picked up another chart.

"Did Colleen reschedule her appointment?" Claire asked.

"Uh… not that I know of. She's been a bit weird lately anyway," Alex said. Claire nodded.

"Yeah. I'm not getting into it. I guess I would be a bit weird after meeting my parents for the first time," Claire said.

"Yeah, but that was almost a month ago." Claire sighed.

"Who knows, that woman is a mystery to me."

* * *

"So, did you always want to be in security?" Anna asked. Ryan shrugged as he leaned back in his chair. He was stuck working late again, and Anna seemed to be the only one around who was willing to help him.

"Not really, for a while I wanted to be a engineer," he said.

"What changed?" she asked. He gave a small sigh and ran a hand through his hair.

"Life did. Things happened on the old ship I was on that just… made me lose interest in it. I still miss fixing up my car though," Ryan said. Anna's eyes seemed to light up.

"What kind?" she asked.

"My car?" he asked. She nodded.

"2010 Camaro Coupe 2SS, customized and everything," he said, a large smile on his face.

"No way! What type of engine?" she asked.

"Standard 6.2L V8 SFI. I didn't want to chance it with the present day engines, it could go a bit screwy," he said.

"Not if you do it right. If you use the basic frame and just switch out a few of the smaller parts, you can make it as good as a brand new engine. What color is it?" she asked.

"Uh… red. How do you know so much about cars?" he asked. She smiled and shrugged.

"My brothers were really into cars. My first car was a Mercedes-Benz 2009 CLK550 Cabriolet." Ryan's eyebrows shot up.

"V-8 engine?" he asked. She nodded.

"And a 7-speed automatic transmission. It was white though, I tried to get my cousin paint it green, but my ex-boyfriend crashed it before I could," Anna told him. Ryan's eyes went wide.

"That's horrible!" Anna laughed at the look of horror on his face.

"That's why he's my ex," she restated. Ryan chuckled as he leaned back in his chair.

"Ensign Lopez, you're more than welcome to spend these late nights working with me. Next time, I'll bring you a picture of my baby," he told her, placing his hands behind his head and stretching out. Anna laughed.

"Why would you bring an ultrasound picture with you?" She asked, a smile spread wide across her face. Ryan smiled in return.

"No, not that one. My car, Baby. That's her name," he told her. She giggled in return.

"I can't wait!" she said. Ryan smiled as their eyes met.

"Me neither…"

* * *

"Does anyone else feel like the past two weeks have gone by insanely fast?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, and with this big away mission coming up, it's just going to get crazier," Liam said.

"I like how everyone but Alex and Liam are being assigned to the away mission," Anna said. Claire smiled and glanced at Ryan, who let his eyes steal a glance at Anna before looking back at his food. In the past two weeks Anna had begun hanging out with the group more, and pretty much got a long with everyone. Anna took a second to glance at Ryan and smiled before turning back to Rupert. Colleen looked at Ryan and Anna before frowning and turning back to her own food.

"I know, what are we going to in a sickbay all by ourselves?" Liam asked. Alex turned red and rolled his eyes.

"We won't be alone, Jackson will be there. God, I hope that little fucker get's off the crack soon, he's all over the wall." Liam frowned.

"Oh yeah, forgot Jackson was staying. They even sent Rupert out! Gosh, we are so missing out on the trip!" Liam said.

"You probably won't be missing much. I heard that a lot of the senior officers are going to be in meetings most of the time," Claire said.

"Yeah, but the city is right by their ocean. Not to mention you're practically rooming with Kirk. How is that going?" Liam asked. Claire turned red and rolled her eyes.

"Fine, jus fine. Same as before, just a bit more making out and heart to heart talks." Ryan frowned and clenched his fists. He hated hearing about his sisters love life. He'd agreed to lay off them, but it was still difficult for him. Colleen was the only one to notice his body tense up and rolled her eyes. She was getting sick of it.

"Ryan, why don't you come help me pack?" Colleen had phrased it as a question, but everyone knew it was more of a command than anything else as she rose from the table. Claire watched her brother jump up from the table and waved before following his girlfriend as if he were a lost puppy.

"Ugh, I'm getting so sick of that! My brother is so pussy-whipped!" Claire stated, causing everyone at the table to burst out laughing, save for Rupert who merely watched the couple walk away.

"He drives me crazy when we have the night shift sometimes. All he talks about is the crap that she makes him do. It's mad pathetic if you ask me!" Anna told them. Liam rolled his eyes.

"He must be a bottom like Alex here. Although, Alex has been less of a bottom and more of a no-sex boyfriend," Liam said, the last bit of his sentence directed towards his boyfriend. Alex rose from his seat.

"You know what? I'm sick of this. Stop pulling this shit if you're not even going to let me explain myself!" He snapped. Liam ignored his outburst and turned back to his food. Rupert leaned across the table to Claire.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" She looked at the table, which was in the middle of an argument and nodded.

"Sure," she said. Rupert nodded and they both walked out of dinning hall and into a lift. She didn't ask questions as he stopped at the lift and turned toward her.

"I… uh…" he trailed off. Claire raised an eyebrow and watched the British man try to collect her thoughts.

"Are you alright? You look like you are going to pass out," she said.

"I slept with Colleen!" he said, or practically shouted. Claire paused then blinked a few times.

"You… you did what?" she asked. He sighed and leaned against the wall.

"I… I slept with Colleen," he whispered.

"As in… recently?" she asked.

"About… three, maybe four months ago," he said. Claire sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"You… you slept with your best friends girlfriend? What the hell?"

"It was an accident! It wasn't like we planned to sleep together, it just happened. I've liked her for a while, and she was just… there, practically asking me to… well you know." Claire placed her face in her hands and shook her head. Why was she always the one people came to when they wanted to get something off their chest.

"Jesus," she muttered.

"I want to tell Ryan, but…" she looked at him.

"You can't… it would ruin his happiness. I understand, I think it is bullshit and you are an asshole, but I understand," Claire said. He sighed and pressed his lips together.

"There is more…" he said softly.

"Oh for the love of God…" she mumbled to herself, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Her brother was about to get married to a cheating whore. She slept with his best friend. What could be worse?

"Colleen's baby… it's not Ryan's…" Rupert's eyes were downcast as the words left his mouth. Time seemed to slow down as Claire tried to wrap her mind around it. All her brother's happiness… all his joy… were lies. Colleen was a cheating lying whore who was going to get wed to her brother. It was all wrong…

". . ." Claire opened her mouth, but closed it again, adding onto the guilt gnawing at Rupert's heart. He'd betrayed his best friend all for a good lay and pretty much ruined his life, but he needed to tell someone. Since he didn't have the balls to tell Ryan himself, he choose the next best thing. However, he was starting to think it had been a worse idea to tell his sister.

"You… you son of a bitch!" Claire cried out, her hands going to Rupert's throat. Rupert froze, not knowing how to react. He'd never seen the female Conaway so angry before and it truly frightened him. Deep down, he knew he deserved it. Her knuckles turned white as Claire grasped the soft flesh under her hands, releasing all the rage she felt. For all her life, Ryan had always been there to protect her, and here she was, unable to protect him from the dreaded news.

"C-Claire!" Rupert choked out, but she refused to lessen her grip. Perhaps by fate, but Alex choose that moment to storm out of the dining hall, frustrated by his boyfriend. He looked up to see Rupert's face slowly turning purple and rushed to his side.

"Claire, let go of him. CLAIRE!" Upon hearing her name, Claire seemed to snap out of whatever rage filled daze she'd been in and released Rupert's throat. Alex gave a sigh of relief as Rupert was sent into a fit of coughing. He took a hold of her arms and pulled her back, trying to keep her as far away from him as possible. She was still mad, but it seemed like she had calmed down a bit.

"I'm going to kill him! I'm going to do it! I'll take the worst possible disease and stick him with it!" Claire snapped. Alex sighed and pulled her farther away.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do it!" Claire broke out of Alex's grip and went to lunge at the British man, but Alex quickly got a grip on her waist and pulled her back.

"No, Claire… you do not need a court-martial!" he told her.

"You better not get in an accident, if you need surgery I'll make sure your ass is dead!" she snapped. Rupert flinched and stood up.

"Claire… I'm-"

"Dude, if I were you I would just leave," Alex said. Rupert paused before taking off. Claire clenched her fists as Alex dragged her into the lift and hit the sickbay level.

"Oh my God, I cannot believe him. How could he do this? And Colleen! What kind of woman does that? That fucking whore," Claire hissed. Alex raised an eyebrow as he watched her fume. He had never seen her as angry as she was now.

"Did you… want to talk about it?" he asked, a little unsure of how he should proceed. He was a trauma doctor, not a psychiatrist.

"No… Yes! Wait… I don't know. God, why does this shit always happen to my family?" she asked. Alex pressed his lips together and patted her back.

"Well… you always have Kirk," he told her. She nodded and ran a hand through her hair.

"I should tell Ryan," she whispered.

"About Colleen? I'm assuming she did something with Rupert." Claire nodded.

"She's a whore," Claire answered. The doors opened and the stepped out of the lift.

"I figured that much," Alex said. Claire let a small smile slip and looked at her best friend.

"You think I should tell Ryan? I mean… he's so happy now…" Alex shrugged.

"If Colleen slept with Rupert, which I'm assuming is what happened, then they're obviously not going to be getting married anytime soon. But they might be able to work it out, especially if you can convince Colleen to tell him the truth," Alex suggested as they mindless walked through the halls. They had to be on duty within the hour, but Claire could care less.

"It's worse than that. Alex, if I tell you, you can't say a word to anyone until I decide what to do," Claire instructed, stopping in the middle of the hallway and turning to face her best friend. Liam might have been her gay best friend, but Alex had been there for her since she started on the Enterprise. He was an asshole, but he was also a good guy when he had to be.

"Of course, it's not like I'm a huge gossip queen like my boyfriend," he reminded her. Claire nodded and leaned close, her nose hovering by his ear.

"Colleen's baby isn't Ryan's, it's Rupert's." Alex's eyes went wide as her breath tickled his ear.

"Seriously? Wow, that's low, man. Now I can see why you're so pissed!" He exclaimed, Claire shushed him and they continued walking.

"You can't say anything!" Alex nodded and scratched the back of his head.

"I know, I won't… but… maybe you should tell Ryan. He's about to marry a woman that doesn't love him, and then he's going to raise his best friends kid. Dude, this is so fucked up." Claire nodded.

"That's not even an understatement," Claire muttered. They walked into sickbay and Claire immediately picked up a chart and looked it over.

"Hey! What are you doing?" McCoy asked. Claire paused then looked down at her chart.

"Uh… working?" Claire asked.

"You need to get ready for the away mission." Claire rolled her eyes. The one time Claire needed to work, McCoy was yelling at her for it.

"But… no one will look after my patients!" Claire pointed out.

"You're intern will look after them," McCoy said. After a couple of days, McCoy had dubbed the new doctors as interns, since they acted like such. Claire was lucky enough to get assigned Spike- or Doctor Giles- as her intern. Claire glanced at the doctor, who was currently hitting on a patient, and then looked to McCoy.

"No disrespect sir… but have you met my intern?" she asked. McCoy nodded.

"Indeed I have. Which is why he's your responsibly. If he fucks up, it's your fault. So keep you intern in line or your ass might be the one on the line," McCoy warned her. Claire sighed as McCoy left. Alex placed a hand on her shoulder.

"If I could, I'd happily take your place. I'll keep an eye on your mini-doctor while your away and make sure he doesn't fuck up too badly," Alex told her, trying to be comforting. Claire just watched the patient stand up and leave sickbay in a hurry without even getting checked out.

"I have so much crap that I'm stressing about and half of it isn't even mine to worry about," she mumbled. Alex nodded.

"Tell me about it…" The stood together in silence for a minute, watching Spike crack open another bottle of beer. Claire ran both hands through her hair as she realized what a challenge keeping Spike in line was going to be.

"I need to pack for the away mission and get out of here. Hopefully the time away will give me a chance to figure out what to do…" Claire trailed off, her eyes never leaving Spike since he was the only person in sickbay doing anything. Alex nodded, his eyes also following the trashy British man.

"Right-o. Head on out, I'll take care of this," Alex told her. Claire nodded and gave him a quick hug before leaving sickbay. He sighed before crossing the room.

"Spike, throw that bottle of beer out or I swear to god, I will have you kicked off this ship!"

* * *

_Onto the reviews _

_**Yayyou  
Raxsah:** We is working on it! The next chapter, I think, we will have Kirk/Claire action. I think…**  
Jeck: **__And what if we said no? lol_

_**nickiR0x**  
**Jeck: **__Thank you. Here's the next chapter, I hope the wait wasn't too long.**  
Raxsah: **__I don't think it was too long… it was only a few days._

_**Parallel Days  
Raxsah:**__ Yay! I know, The Kirk and Ryan part was necessary… we felt, because… idk, because we needed Ryan to stop bitching about it. If my college had marching band I would keep up with it. I loved it.  
**Jeck: **__Marching band will keep me busy for awhile. Kirk and Ryan are like the perfect enemies! MAWHAHAHAHAHA! BTW- Congrats again!_

**_SWfangirl21_**  
_**Raxsah:**__ Alex and Liam are the best, I'm so glad we decided to put them together. Ryan peeing his pants was a last minute addition. It was kind of like "He had to use the bathroom before he woke up right?" "Right." "I have an idea!" Ah yes, Anna… What kind of story would this be if there wasn't at least one love triangle? We love drama, and we are very good at writing it. I am proud to say the last part was my idea. I figured everyone would get a kick out of it.__**  
Jeck: **__Alex and Liam are amazing! :3 Oh course this isn't the last time that Kirk and Ryan butt heads. What kind of story would this be without the drama? I suppose after this chapter it shouldn't be as hard to pick between Anna and Colleen. lol Although, we know some people really do like Colleen. Sorry. We really like to make things go boom. It isn't the first time and it won't be the last… Spock does provide a lot of comic relief, but there isn't a whole bunch of him later throughout the story. Maybe the next fanfic. Enjoy the update!_

**_Smiley_**  
_**Jeck: **__I'm not dissing the name. With a name like Jeck, you think I have any room to judge? lol__**  
Raxsah: **__Diss the name? Never. It's awesome. Everything is just stupidly funny when you're running off four hours of sleep instead of the usual twelve. ;D_

_**Raxsah: **__I would like to apologize to all those out there who were true Colleen/Ryan supporters. We tried to throw little hints that something was up, but might have failed. We're not good at the subtle foreshadowing. It had to be done, the more we wrote her, the more we didn't like her.  
**Jeck: **Surprise, surprise. Just wait to see what we've got planned for her in the future. Well, until we update again (perhaps at the end of the week?)!_


	17. Love is a Battlefield

_**Raxsah: **__So two men walk into a bar…  
__**Jeck: **__Mmmm that's kind of kinky…  
__**Raxsah: **__No. it's kinky if they are strapped to a bar.  
__**Jeck: **__Or start making out around the bar while stripping off all their clothes.  
__**Raxsah: **__Either way. Welcome back to our little world, we know you missed us. We should apologize-ish for being a little… random and or dull, we're writing this at 8 in the morning.  
__**Jeck: **__Oh god… why… why is it before noon? Need… more… sleep…  
__**Raxsah: **__Stupid all you can eat pancakes… at least there is food.  
__**Jeck: **__I don't love pancakes nearly enough for this. You and your family, yeah. Pancakes… not worth it…  
__**Raxsah: **__Word. We'd like to thank everyone who added this to their favorite and alerts list. We appreciate it almost as much as the reviews.  
__**Jeck: **__I love how you're always the one to say that. Not like I'd ever remember it, but yeah. Here's some more awesomeness that is Jeck and Raxsah!  
__**Raxsah: **__WAIT! We forgot the most important parts of this very long chapter iz de lemons!  
__**Jeck: **__Now, now, Raxsah, let's not talk about our private lives in the story. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__Ha, ha, ha. I meant the story. We have a Liam/Alex Lemon and a Kirk/Claire lemon. We figured you should be warned.  
__**Jeck: **__Warned, or excited. Either way. When you're doing getting off, remember that there's an actual plot to the story too.  
__**Raxsah: **__Sometimes… enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 16; Love is a Battlefield

* * *

Claire navigated the many halls of the _Enterprise_ as if she was on auto-pilot. Her mind was a mess, trapped in a world of massive confusion. She had already packed and was now heading to the shuttle bay. There was too many people going on the away mission for them all to use the transporter. The lift opened and she smiled at a group of engineers who were talking. She pressed her level and silently waited for it to come.

"Nice ass," someone said. She turned her head and looked around, since she was the only female in the lift she assumed they were talking about her. Or, at least she hoped they were. If not, she was suddenly in a very awkward situation.

"Get a life," she muttered. A few of the men chuckled, and one went to step forward.

"So, where you headed, doc?" he asked. She rolled her eyes and looked at him.

"To meet my boyfriend before going on the away mission." He heard the word boyfriend and took a few steps back.

"My bad," he said. Claire shook her head and crossed her arms. The doors opened and all the engineers piled out of the lift, something she was a bit grateful. The lift closed and she let out a deep sigh. She was about to spend a week on a planet with her brother and his whore girlfriend, plus twenty other people and her boyfriend. Maybe if she steered clear of them, it wouldn't be so bad. At least until she figured out what t do. The doors opened and she couldn't stop the smile that came to her lips as her boyfriend stepped into the lift.

"Hey," he said, smiling widely.

"Hey," she replied. He stepped into the lift and waited for the doors to close. When they did, he hit the stop button and turned toward her.

"So, I was wondering if you would do the honors of sharing a room with me?" he asked. He had dropped his duffle bag, and she followed in suit.

"Oh really? Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked. He moved forward and placed his hand on her hips, causing her to smile.

"Oh yeah, maybe with enough persuading I can finally convince you to let me take advantage of you," he said. She chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hmm, well… maybe if you take me out to a really nice dinner before hand, I'll think about it." Jim smiled and leaned down, letting his lips brush against hers.

"You still thinking about it?" he asked. She smiled and nodded.

"Well, it's looking good in your favor," she whispered. He chuckled and pressed his lips against hers, moving them softly against hers. She kissed back and chuckled when he pressed his hips to hers. "Jim…"

"I know… Dinner first. Jesus, woman. You are driving me insane," he said softly.

"Patience is a virtue." He scoffed and took a step back, hitting the go button.

"Patience my ass. What's the point of having a hot ass girlfriend if you can't ravish her?" he asked. Claire began laughing and hugged him after picking up her duffle bag.

"I love you," she said. He smiled and kissed her temple.

"I love you too," he replied, grabbing his own duffle bag. They intertwined hands and exited the lift. Kirk led them over to where the rest of the crew were waiting to board the shuttle craft taking them down to the planet.

"Good of you to show up, Captain," Spock said, his own hand grasping Uhura's hand. Claire saw something out of the corner of her eye and turned to see her brother waving his hand while standing next to his whore girlfriend and his lying best friend.

"Hey Jim, I'll see you later." Jim held his hand up to Spock, who was explaining to him the meeting they were attending later that day. Spock stopped so Jim could turn to Claire.

"I will definitely see you later," he said with a smile and leaned down to capture her lips one last time. Claire moaned in protest as the kiss was cut short and his warm sensual lips pulled away from hers.

"Definitely." She smiled and walked over to her brother, who smiled down at her.

"Ready to go?" he asked. She nodded and glanced at Colleen before looking back to her brother.

"Is Anna coming?" she asked. He paused then nodded.

"Yeah… I think she is being transported down later though," he said. She nodded and began to board the shuttle, stopping when a hand held her back.

"Claire… did you-" Rupert started but Claire cut him off.

"Don't you dare touch me. The only thing keeping me from telling Ryan and kicking you ass is the fact I'm in a really good mood. So shut up and keep moving," she hissed. He paused but let go of her arm and got onto the ship. It was going to be a long mission.

* * *

"Oh wow, it's so beautiful," Colleen said. They had gotten off their shuttle not too long ago and were standing on the back terrace of the hotel. The planet was originally uninhabited, until Starfleet found it. Seven years later, it was now used as a get away for ambassadors and captains, they used it for meetings such as this.

"You think they'll let us spend some time on the beach? I know we have like… classes and all, but I wouldn't mind catching a few waves," Ryan asked. Claire shrugged and smiled at the beauty of the sun setting.

"No clue. I hope so, the beach looks so romantic…" she said, trailing off. Rupert pressed his lips together and glanced over at Colleen, who was wrapped in Ryan's arms. Claire saw his forlorn expression and stomped on his foot as hard as she could.

"Bloody hell!" he hissed. Everyone turned to look as the British man jumped out of down, holding his foot in pain.

"Oh sorry Rupert, I didn't see you there," Claire said, her apology completely fake and an evil grin plastered on her face. Rupert's eyes welled in pain, but he kept his mouth closed. Colleen noticed the tension between them and for a minute, her heart stopped. Claire knew. _Oh shit_. Thinking quickly, Colleen leaned over in her fiancé's ear and whispered a few things. Her actions didn't go unnoticed, as Claire watched intently.

"That sounds like a great idea! Hey Claire, do you want to head into town with me? We can check out what the locals do for fun around here," Ryan suggested, causing Colleen to give her future sister-in-law a fake smile. Claire nodded and forced a smile onto her own face.

"Sounds lovely, Ry," she said through clenched teeth, seeing the look that Colleen was giving Rupert. He was still trying to soothe the pain in his foot, but looked up to see the gestures to follow Colleen after the Conaway siblings left.

"You told her?" she hissed.

"I had to tell someone!" he argued. Colleen sighed and placed her face in her hands.

"You told Claire, Claire of all people! Why didn't you just tell Ryan himself?" she hissed.

"Damnit Colleen, this isn't fair. We made a mistake and now we have to pay for it. The guilt is eating me up!" Colleen grabbed his shirt and glared at him.

"You will not repeat a word! I'm going to have to deal with Claire now, thanks a lot! If she tells Ryan I'm in big trouble," she snapped. Rupert sighed and pressed his lips together.

"Colleen, just tell him the truth." Colleen let go of his shirt and sighed.

"I can't… I just… can't. I don't want to hurt him. He's the nicest guy I've ever dated. I can't just crush him. No, I'll make him happy, even if this isn't his baby."

* * *

Claire walked down the street with her brother, watching as a few merchants tried to sell the members of Starfleet items.

"So… I was thinking about making Rupert my best man. Since Colleen and I are getting married as soon as we get back to earth," Ryan said. He stopped to look at a few of the watches. Claire also stopped and glanced at them as well.

"Oh…" she said softly.

"I also think Colleen was going to ask you to be one of her bridesmaids, I can ask Jim to be one of my uh… groomsmen, so you could walk down the isle with him." Claire pressed her lips together and nodded.

"Sounds nice… is it a church wedding?" she asked. For some reason, she felt a church wedding would be too much. Colleen would be swearing to love Ryan in the house of God, when she knew she might not be able to keep that promise. Ryan nodded.

"Colleen said her family would like that best," he told her, glancing once more at the watches before turning to look at the leather wallets. Claire sighed.

"What about what you want?" She asked. Ryan paused and shrugged.

"I don't really care all that much. I just want to get married and I want to make her happy," he said, shrugging if off as if it were nothing. Claire felt her rage begin to boil, but she wasn't sure if it was towards her brother or his bride-to-be.

"Well, you should care. It's your wedding day too and you have a say in things. Colleen isn't your master and you should be treated as an equal, not her bitch!" Claire snapped, causing a few passer-bys to look at the siblings. Ryan pulled himself away from window shopping to raise an eyebrow at his sister.

"Where is all this coming from?" He asked, slightly disturbed by his sister's outburst. Claire took a deep breath and sighed.

"Just… maybe you guys are rushing into this, that's all," Claire offered in a much calmer voice.

"You were the one who told me that we weren't rushing it, you calmed me down and helped me to realize that I had no real fears. I felt so much more confident about marrying her and now you're telling me that we're rushing it?" Claire sighed and looked down.

"Never mind, Ryan. Do what you want, but I am not being in that wedding," she told him. She turned and began walked off, but stopped when Ryan grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Claire, I don't want to fight with you, but what is this about? Why do you suddenly hate the idea of Colleen and I marrying?" he asked. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I don't… I mean…" she stopped and looked down. "I don't know, I just… don't know. If you really want to marry her, then marry her…" Ryan nodded and let go of her arm.

"We better go, we have school tomorrow," he said. Claire gave a small sigh and rolled her eyes.

"Ugh… school, I thought I was done with that after the academy," she muttered.

"I thought so too, it's not so bad, except the waking up at five hundred hours."

"Oh yeah, not bad at all. I don't even wake up that early for my shifts. If I am working at that hour, it's because I'm on graveyard shift," she said. He chuckled and draped his arm over her shoulders in a brotherly fashion.

"I'll bring you coffee, how about that?" she chuckled and hugged him.

"You'd be my favorite sibling ever," she told him.

"I'm your only sibling ever…" he pointed out. She scoffed.

"That you know of."

* * *

Claire walked into her room and dropped her duffle bag next to the bed before falling onto it. She gave a small sigh of content when she realized the bed was as soft, maybe even softer, than the ones on the ship.

"Hey, Claire-bear." Claire jolted awake, not even realizing that she'd fallen asleep. She looked around and noticed that the orange tint from the setting sun the covered the room when she'd entered was replaced by darkness.

"Hey, Jim," she said back, recognizing his voice anywhere. He collapsed next to her in the bed and pulled her close.

"Couldn't even wait for me to get in to crash?" He asked, noticing that she was still in her day clothes. Claire nodded and sat up, tossing her shirt to the side.

"It's not my fault, I swear. It's these damn comfy beds," she explained, rising from the bed to get changed into her pajamas. She didn't get very far when two arms reached out from the darkness and pulled her back onto the bed. She giggled as Jim began tickling her sides and forcing her under him. She couldn't let out the high-pitched laugh that erupted from her lips when he hit the sweet spot, sending her into uncontrollable laughter.

"Stop! Stop! No fair! Jim!" she squealed. Jim chuckled and stopped the assault on her sides and looked down at her figure. She wore nothing but a pair of jeans and her blue bra. He ignored he fact and looked into her eyes.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist," he said. She chuckled and let her hands travel up his sides, stopping when he suddenly flinched.

"Ah…" she said. He glared at her.

"Don't even think about it," he whispered. She smiled and went to tickle him, but his hands stopped her.

"You're no fun!" she whined.

"You are not tickling me." She frowned and reached up to kiss him deeply. He kissed back and she suddenly pulled away.

"Can I tickle you now?" she asked. He chuckled and got off her.

"No, we should get ready for bed. You have class tomorrow and I have meetings with big important people," he said.

"Why would big important people want to meet with you?" she asked jokingly.

"Because I am a big important person," he said, pulling his shirt over his head. She paused, taking a glance at his toned body, before grabbing her pajamas and slipping them on.

"Could've fooled me," she muttered after she finished putting her pajamas on.

"You know what…" she suddenly found hands tickling her sides and fell onto the bed, her boyfriend right next to her. If this was how life was going to be living with Jim Kirk, she was in for a fun ride.

* * *

"I hate the morning," Ryan muttered.

"Shut up, you're making me depressed…" Claire muttered. Ryan sighed and took a sip of his coffee. Security officers, pilots, and Doctors had classes in the early morning. Thus the reason why Claire and Ryan were waking up early for class, while the rest of the group stayed in. Colleen and Rupert didn't have to get up for class until noon.

"I have the right since I'm your older brother. Plus, I got you coffee," he reminded her as she took a long drink from her cup. Jim had been up and practically out the door when she'd rolled out of bed and as much as she loved her brother, having her sexy boyfriend bring her coffee was a much more appealing idea.

"Mmmmmm…" They continued on their way to their class, cursing the day ahead of them.

"Hey, at least McCoy stayed on the ship," Ryan offered as approached Claire's classroom. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Thank god or this experience would be like a million times-"

"I hope the next word out of your mouth was going to be better." Claire cringed as the familiar of her commanding officer rang through her ears.

"Of course, Dr. McCoy." Ryan said nothing as he felt his sister shrink next to him.

"Damn right," he muttered.

"I thought you were staying on the ship," she asked softly.

"I was, until the damn hobgoblin called me down. Apparently my surgery techniques aren't up to par," McCoy said, his southern drawl coming through a bit. Claire resisted the urge to sigh and nodded.

"Well… certainly seems like a reason…" she said.

"Yeah, it would if I my surgery skills were that of a God damn intern. Do I look like a damn intern to you?" he asked. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Is that a trick question?" McCoy shot him a look, which made him flinch, and then looked back to Claire.

"Sir… the class is about to start… we should-"

"Well get going! And throw that coffee out, you won't need it." Claire paused and gripped her coffee.

"But, but… my coffee…" McCoy grabbed it and threw it in a trash can, causing a small cry to erupt from Claire's lips. "No…" she whispered.

"Come on," McCoy muttered, dragging her into the class. Ryan rolled his eyes and went to take a sip, only to have the cup taken from his hands.

"Thank you," Anna said, taking a deep gulp.

"Aw… come on, you can't steal a mans coffee like that," Ryan said.

"Oh really? What are you going to do about it?" she asked, taking another sip. Ryan sighed.

"Well… nothing, I guess," he mumbled. Anna just smiled.

"Your woman really does have you pussy-whipped. I like it!" She said, enjoying the rich taste of his coffee. Ryan puffed out his chest and crossed his arms.

"I am not pussy-whipped!" He declared. Anna rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, come on. We're going to be late for class," she said, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him down the hallway.

* * *

"Rupert, if you bring it up one more time, I swear to god I will cut your balls off!" Colleen warned as they found themselves navigating through the many hallways of the school. Rupert had been waiting for her at her door and insisted that they walked together to class.

"Fine, go ahead. Unlike Ryan, I'm not afraid of you. Colleen, if you don't tell Ryan soon, I will. I cannot keep doing this to him," Rupert told her, trying to match her quick pace. She was trying to get away from him, he could tell, but he wasn't about to let them drop the conversation.

"No, I will not tell him. I have something perfect going on right now and I'm not going to ruin it with this crap!" She snapped. Rupert sighed and cut in front of her.

"I talked to Captain Kirk and we're going to be heading back to Earth in one month. If you haven't told him by then, I will. Your marriage and your baby are all lies and I will not do this to Ryan," Rupert hissed, his accent becoming more apparent as his rage increased. Colleen folded her arms.

"This is just as much your fault as it is mine," she countered back, attempting to step around him. Rupert held her back and licked his lips, finding that he was beginning to lose his resolve.

"I know, I know, but I'm not getting married to him and bringing up a child with him that isn't his without telling him. I'm just the shitty best friend here; you're the lying and cheating whor-" Colleen backhanded Rupert before he could finished his sentence and shoved him out of the way.

"Piss off Rupert. You aren't talking to him, and he isn't going to find out," she snapped.

"Really? Are you that bloody stupid, Colleen? If I don't tell him, Claire surely will. You really think his own sister would let that happen to him?" he hissed.

"I'll deal with Claire on my own, just keep your damn mouth shut," she snapped. He said nothing as a bell rang and a few people emptied out of the class rooms.

"Colleen, Rupert?" a voice said. Colleen looked over at Ryan who was making his way over to where they were, Anna standing right next to him. Colleen glared at Anna and walked over to him.

"Ryan, walk me to my next class, I want to see you before I'm off," she said. He smiled and nodded.

"I'll see you later Rupert. Bye Anna." Neither Colleen or Rupert missed the affectionate tone he used when he said goodbye to Anna, but Colleen ignored it and pulled him off. Anna watched and looked up at Rupert when he stood next to her.

"He's like a puppy, it's really annoying," Anna said. Rupert nodded and rubbed his cheek.

"You have no idea," he said. Anna raised an eyebrow and noticed the bruise forming on his cheek.

"Hey, you alright? It looks like you have a bruise there," she said.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," he said. She frowned.

"I can get Claire, if you'd like…" Rupert shook his head violently.

"No! No, no… I'll be fine. I better get to class," he said, practically running off. Anna raised an eyebrow and sighed.

"People are freaking weird around here," she muttered.

* * *

"Claire!" Claire looked up to see Rupert running down the hall towards her. She sighed and glared at him.

"I don't want to talk to you, what part of that don't you understand?" She snapped. Rupert sighed.

"I'm a horrible person and I'll burn in hell, I know the deal. But I have to talk to you," he tried again, but Claire raised her fist and punched him on his non-bruised cheek. Rupert's head jerked back and the impact and Claire's knuckles cracked against the tender flesh.

"I still don't want to talk to you," she muttered, shaking off the ache in her hand. Rupert cupped his face in pain, but didn't give up. He couldn't sleep the whole night before and how vowed to make things right. And damnit, he was going to try if it killed him. Knowing Claire Conaway, it might.

"Fine, don't talk to me. Just listen," he pleaded and Claire simply nodded. If nothing else, he might give her another excuse to punch him. She wasn't sure why, but beating the shit out of Rupert was making her feel slightly better about the situation.

"Go," she instructed him.

"Okay, so I fucked up and now I want to make it right, but I know if you or I tell Ryan, it's not going to happen. Colleen needs to be the one come clean about what she did. Then, and only then, can the right thing be done. But Colleen won't tell him. She's content on lying to him for the rest of their lives," he told her, his heart dropping with every word. If he hadn't slept with her, none of this would be happening. The look on Claire's face made him feel even more like a scumbag, but it had to be done. He had to make it right. Claire felt her anger building up again, but even beating the shit out of Rupert wouldn't do. Colleen, on the other hand, could do with some face reconstruction.

"Oh, that BITCH!" she hissed. Rupert stood up and eyes her warily.

"Claire…" Claire clenched her fists.

"I'm going to kill her! No, I'm going to make her life a God damn living hell then kill her. Oh, that fucking whore!" she snapped.

"I don't think killing her is exactly the way to go. Maybe if you…" He trailed off after seeing the look she gave him. For some reason, he never knew the young woman to look so angry, or scary for that matter.

"You shut the hell up. I'm going to beat the living shit out of her. If she thinks she is going to get away with this, oh… she is mistaken. My parents were right, she's nothing but trash. That fucking whore. I'm going to beat her face in," she hissed. She began walking away and Rupert paled. As much as he wanted the truth to be out, maybe he should've waited to tell her.

"Wait, did you mean now?" he asked. Claire said nothing as trekked down the hallway. Her temper got the best of her as she went to open the door to the class, but was stopped when Rupert pulled her back.

"Let me go! You damn dirty British!" she snapped.

"You can't just storm in there and beat her face in. You'll get in trouble!" he hissed, pulling her away from the door.

"I'm dating the captain, he'll keep me out of trouble," she snapped.

"No, Claire… think straight. You go in there and make a scene then you'll be in more trouble than her. She's not worth it!" he snapped. Claire turned around and backhanded him, causing him to let out a string of curses. "What the bloody hell was that fucking for?" he asked.

"For being right. I hate the fact that you're right," she snapped.

"Bloody hell, you've got to be Irish…"

* * *

"I have assembled you here today because I need your help," Claire started as she looked around the room full of people. Though, her room full of people only consisted of Rupert, Anna, and Jim.

"Why am I here again?" Rupert asked as Claire shot him a death glare.

"Because you couldn't keep it in your pants and you're partly to blame for this!" She snapped, pulling a very large ruler out from behind her. She threateningly pointed it at Rupert and he closed his mouth. Anna began laughing.

"I don't know what's going on, but I think I like it so far!" She stated, but Claire sent her a nasty look as well.

"Colleen cheated on Ryan and now she's having Rupert's baby," Claire told her. Anna's face went from amused to pissed off in sixty seconds flat.

"WHAT?" She rounded on Rupert and began beating the shit out of him. Jim jumped up from his seat and pulled the angry Hispanic girl off the British man as Claire watched with an evil smirk.

"You could help me," Jim said, struggling in holding Anna back. Claire just continued to watch with a content smile on her face.

"No, I think I like this…" Jim rolled her eyes and ignored the nasty fling of Hispanic curses that flew from her mouth.

"I'm sorry!" Rupert cried.

"Oh, you aren't sorry! Not yet!" Anna snapped. Claire sighed.

"Hey, we need to focus! We can beat the crap our of Rupert later… right now we need to figure out a way to beat Colleen," Claire said. Jim let go of Anna and looked at his girlfriend.

"Claire, I love you… but isn't this overboard?" he asked.

"Uh… no. I'm not about to let my brother marry that woman. She's a cheater, and as a cheater she should at least admit what she did," she snapped.

"So, if your boyfriend cheated on you, you would forgive him if he told you?" Anna asked. Claire glanced at Jim, but shrugged.

"If it was one night, yeah sure… it would be a while before I could trust him, but yes I would. I would expect the same from him," Claire said.

"Alright, so… what exactly did you have in mind?" Rupert asked.

"Okay, Anna, I need you to do me a favor," Claire started. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Why do I have the feeling that I'm not going to like this…"

* * *

"You guys are going to keep a lookout, right?" Claire asked. Jim sighed and nodded. The things he did for this woman baffled him.

"Yes, we'll make sure that you don't get caught. Claire… this is a bit juvenile…" She rolled her eyes.

"I'm twenty-three… I can be juvenile," she said. Jim grabbed the bridge of his nose.

"Please, just go get this over with," he pleaded. Claire smiled and gave her boyfriend a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks again for doing this for me, babe," she said. She turned to Rupert and backhanded him again.

"Ow, what the hell?" He cried out, going to hold his face in pain again.

"Oh yeah, like I would've kissed you," she mumbled. She turned around to face her brother and Colleen's door and knocked. She wasn't going to get violent until the door was safely locked behind her. She took and deep breath, preparing herself what was about to come. But as the door opened, Claire realized no amount of preparation could have prepared her for the almost animalistic rage that came over her as Colleen's face came into view.

"Oh hey, Claire. Ryan's not in rig-" Before Colleen could finish her sentence, Claire shoved the other blonde into the room and slammed the door shut behind her. She barely remembered to lock the door as Colleen fell to the ground from the powerful and unexpected push.

"What the hell?" she asked.

"Oh, you are so lucky you are pregnant because that is the only thing keeping me from killing you," Claire hissed.

"What are you talking about?" Colleen asked, standing up.

"Oh, don't play coy with me bitch. I know damn well what you and Rupert did, and what you are doing with Ryan…" Claire snapped. Colleen sighed and looked down.

"I didn't mean for it to happen, it just… happened," Colleen said. Claire resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell Ryan?" she asked.

"I want us to be happy, he won't be happy if-" Claire took a step toward her, causing Colleen to take a step back.

"Don't you dare sit there and think you can talk about my brother's happiness you whore! If you actually cared for his happiness you wouldn't have cheated on him in the first place!" Colleen took a step toward her, and Claire didn't back down.

"You have no idea what I've been through," she hissed.

"And you have no idea what Ryan has been through. You either tell him what you did, or I will…" Colleen glared at the younger woman.

"Or what? You'll kick my ass? No offense, but I'm not scared of a high class little princess who hasn't lifted a finger to help herself until she joined Starfleet," Colleen said. Claire paused before throwing her fist at Colleen's jaw, causing her to fall back on the floor. Claire hid the pain in her knuckles well and raised an eyebrow at the blonde on the floor.

"Scared now?"

* * *

"Hey… how about we go for a drink?" Anna asked. She had spent the entire afternoon trying to keep Ryan away from his room, but as the night soon came upon them, she was finding it quite difficult.

"I don't know, I should be getting back," Ryan said, looking at the time. Anna grabbed his arm and pulled him along.

"One drink won't hurt. We've got classes in the afternoon and Rupert told me that the engineers had another class tonight so Colleen probably won't be waiting for you," Anna lied. She just gave him an innocent smile to completely hide her lies as they trudged along the street.

"One drink then," he agreed as they continued walking down the road. They'd spent the day at the beach, chasing each other through the waves. Anna had convinced him to go see a scary movie, in which they were both holding onto each other for dear life out of fear. They'd even been to the mall for a bit, but he complained when Anna forced him to go into all the 'girly' stores. Ryan chuckled thinking back over the day as Anna drug him inside and shoved him towards the direction of the bar. The bartender nodded to the two as he began cleaning a dirty glass.

"Evening," he greeted. Anna smiled as she took a seat next to Ryan.

"Hmmm… what are you in the mood for, Ry?" She asked, scanning the many bottles lining the bar. Ryan glanced over at the beautiful Hispanic woman who sat before him, her hair pulled back into a ponytail and her eyes so full of life and excitement. His day out with Anna was the first time in a long time that'd he had really had fun.

"Whatever you are having," he said. She smiled and looked at the bartender.

"Excellent, hope you can handle tequila," she said. Ryan forced a smile, but paled a little.

"Tequila?" he asked. She nodded as the bartender brought the glasses to them and put them down.

"Enjoy," he said. She nodded and turned toward Ryan.

"One drink," Ryan said. Anna nodded.

"One drink…"

* * *

"Ouch! You fucking bit me!" Claire hissed. Colleen wasted no time tackling her to the ground and trying to pin her down. Claire pulled her knees up and pushed Colleen away.

"You fucking deserve it. How dare you attack a pregnant woman?" she hissed.

"You're a slut, you deserve it," Claire snapped. Colleen moved forward and threw her fist at her jaw. Claire moved back, causing Colleen to miss, but did not anticipate Colleen throwing another punch to her side, practically knocking her down. Claire moved to the side and backhanded her, causing Colleen to fall to the floor. The woman's punch lacked a bit in power, but nothing could stop her backhand.

"Fuck!" Colleen snapped. Claire moved back and rubbed her sides. She had been careful not to hit any part of Colleen's abdomen, not wanting to hurt the poor infant growing inside of her. Colleen, however, had kicked, and punched her stomach and side as much as she possibly could. Now Claire was beginning to feel the repercussions of it. Colleen might have had a bruise or two on her face, but Claire was going to have them all over her body.

"Ugh, you are such a fucking bitch," Colleen muttered. Claire couldn't help the smile that came to her face a she noticed the bit of blood trickling from her lips.

"I'd rather be a fucking bitch than a fucking whore…" Colleen swung her fist again, but Claire used her palm to push it to the side and wasted no time in kicking the pregnant woman's right knee out. She didn't need those to give birth.

"I will get you for that!" Colleen said in-between labored breaths, the pain starting to slow her down. Claire couldn't feel much as the adrenaline began pumping through her body like she was a well oiled machine.

"Bring it, bitch," Claire sneered. Colleen lunged forward at her, but Claire just barely ducked out of the way. Colleen fell to the ground, stomach first, trying to grab something to stop herself. She managed to grab Claire's arm, but it did nothing but drag Claire down with her. Claire looked up with horror as she realized what just happened.

"JIM!"

* * *

"I thought we agreed on only one drink," Ryan asked, watching Anna order another shot. She shrugged and gave him a playful smirk.

"You agreed to have one drink. I agreed to nothing," she said, putting another shot back. Ryan chuckled.

"Women," he said to himself, causing Anna to look over at him.

"Are hot, wild, and can drink a whole lot more than Ryan Conaway ever could!" He scoffed.

"Yeah right, I could out drink you," he snapped. She raised an eyebrow and pushed a shot glass toward him.

"Could you?" he smirked and threw back the shot without a second thought. She chuckled and threw it back as well. He slammed the shot down and looked at her.

"I so can."

* * *

"What the hell happened?" Jim asked. Claire gave a frustrated sigh as she began to check the woman's vitals. Claire didn't care pick her up, but she was wide awake.

"Is the baby okay?" Colleen asked, tears coming to her eyes. She wasn't thrilled to be a mother, but she didn't want to kill an innocent life.

"I don't know, are you having any contractions?" Claire asked. Colleen shook her head and looked at Rupert, who had just brought a few medical supplies.

"Jesus, I thought you said you weren't going to hit her stomach…" Jim said.

"I never did, believe it or not I had some restraint. She lunged at me, missed, and fell to the ground." Colleen glared at her.

"This would've never happened if you hadn't attacked me," Colleen snapped. Claire grabbed her scanner and glared at the older blonde.

"If you weren't such a cheating whore, none of this would have happened. Now shut up and lie still." Claire began checking the baby and Jim looked at Rupert, who was deathly pale. His face now held a few bruises, most likely caused by Claire and Colleen, and frowned.

"Do you… uh… you want some ice?" Jim asked. Rupert looked at him and shook his head.

"No… I think I'll be fine," he said. Claire sighed and took away her scanner.

"You'll be fine, the baby was fine. I guess you didn't fall hard enough," Claire snapped.

"You can't tell Ryan," Colleen hissed. Claire glared at her.

"Oh really? What's stopping me?" she snapped.

"You know he's happy, he's happier than I've ever seen him. You don't want to be the one to take that away from him, do you?" she asked. Jim and Rupert exchanged looks at Claire glared down at her. She pressed her lips together and began walking out of the room. Jim raised an eyebrow and went after her.

"Claire!" She gave a frustrated huff and ran a hand through her hair.

"Ugh… she's right. God, I hate that she's right!" Claire hissed.

"You have to tell Ryan, he has a right to know!" Claire shook her head.

"I can't tell him. He has been through so much, and he is so happy. How can I take that away from him? How?" Jim sighed and pulled her into a hug, letting his warmth engulf her. She flinched and he pulled back.

"You alright?" he asked. She shook her head and lifted up her shirt a bit, showing a bit of a very large bruise.

"Damn, she got me good," she muttered. He frowned.

"You have more of those?" he asked. He felt a bit of rage forming toward Colleen, but he fought it back. Claire had hurt her just as much as Colleen hurt her.

"I think so. Nothing a warm bath won't fix," she said. He smirked.

"Want me to join you?" he asked. She chuckled and shook her head.

"No, I think I'm going to rest before our dinner tomorrow," she said. He smiled widely and leaned down, pressing his lips onto hers.

"I can't wait."

* * *

Anna gave a small cough as the shot hit the back of her throat. Both of them had drank the same amount of shots, and they were both pretty drunk.

"I should… I should get home," he said. She nodded and stood up, she had kept him out of his room for four hours. If Claire hadn't beaten the shit out of Colleen by now, then she had better be half dead when they got there.

"Yeah, I- hiccup- I have class tomorrow," she said. He began chuckling.

"Me too, ha!" she laughed and the walked out of the bar and down the street. Ryan sighed and draped an arm around her shoulders.

"Did you have fun?" Anna asked. He smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, damn… I can't remember the last time I had so much fun!" he said. Anna chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"It's because your girlfriend has you waiting on her hand and foot. You are so pussy-whipped!" she said, chuckling. Ryan pouted.

"Nuh-uh… I can have fun. I have fun with Colleen all the time!" he said. Their walk was slow and sluggish, and she didn't fail to notice that he was pulling her closer to his own body.

"Yeah right. She's so stuffy and never goes out. I mean, the woman hates bars. Who hates bars?" she asked. Ryan sighed and stopped walking and turned toward her. His arm dropped from her shoulders, but he still stood very close to her.

"You think I'm stuffy?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No, I think you are a ton of fun. Not to mention you're funny, brave, awesome, and hot. I think you are anything but hot," she said. He raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"You think I'm hot?" he asked. She blushed but nodded, the alcohol making her very brave.

"Yeah, do you think I'm hot or stuffy?" she asked. He moved closer.

"No, I think you are amazing, fun, and smart. And you most certainly are hot," he said. She blushed and looked down. His hand immediately went to her chin and angled her head up so he could meet her eyes.

"Ryan…" he said nothing and he leaned down and pressed his lips onto hers, causing her breath to leave her lungs. She closed her eyes, throwing caution to the wind. His lips moved against hers, slow and sensual, as the smell of alcohol wafted through her nose. He reached up to cup her face and pull her closer. As if jolted awake by an alarm clock, Anna pulled away, much to Ryan's dismay.

"What'd you do that for?" He asked, his eyes half closed and a smirk on his face. He looked so peaceful and innocent, but he had a girlfriend waiting for him back home.

"I-I'm sorry," Anna said before running off. Thankfully she wasn't as drunk as Ryan, allowing her to navigate her way through the streets and back to her room. Ryan stood staring after her retreating form with a confused look on his face. One minute he'd been making out with her and then next, she was running away. Why would she…? It was then that Ryan remembered that he had just made out with someone that wasn't his fiancée.

"Oh shit…" he mumbled, stumbling back towards his room with Colleen. He felt his heart drop as he realized that he had just cheated on his future wife with his hot co-worker. His very hot co-worker. Ryan shook his head, trying to rid thoughts of how good looking Anna was. He opened the door to his room and stumbled to the bed, not bothering to take off his clothes.

"Ryan? You just getting in?" Colleen asked. Ryan nodded, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Yeah… I'm sorry," he said. Colleen rolled over and let her head rest on his chest.

"It's okay…" she whispered. He opened his eyes and looked down at his fiancée, a small frown on his lips. If only she knew.

* * *

The next morning, most of the crew of the _Enterprise_ was practically drained. Claire took a sip of her coffee, waiting for her brother to immerge from his room. She looked up to the steps and saw her brother practically fall down the stairs, his hair a mess and his eyes filled with fatigue.

"Jesus… what happened to you last night? You get mugged?" Claire asked, handing him a cup of coffee. He shook his head and all, but collapsed into the chair next to her. She waited for him to explain, but he said nothing. After a few minutes of waiting and watching him not even drink a sip of coffee, she elbowed him in the sides.

"I'm sorry…" he mumbled in a tired and hoarse voice. Claire could see his bloodshot eyes and pulled her brother into a hug.

"For what?" She asked, wondering if perhaps Colleen had finally broken down and told him. As horrible as it sounded, she was hoping that Colleen had so she wouldn't have to keep it a secret from him anymore.

"I… I kissed Anna. I-I cheated on C-Colleen," he stuttered, trying formulate the words. A single stray tear rolled down his face as he buried his face into his sister's shoulder. Claire allowed her mouth to hang open in shock and she realized what her brother had done.

"You kissed Anna?" She asked, trying to make sure she'd heard right. Ryan nodded into her shoulder.

"We were drunk and I wasn't thinking and… and I just couldn't control myself. S-She was so beautiful and I wasn't thinking…" Claire patted him on the back as he began hyperventilating.

"Breathe Ryan, breathe. Come on, in… out… in… out," she whispered. After a few minutes he finally calmed down enough to breath regularly. He pulled away and ran both hands through his hair.

"What the fuck was I thinking?" he asked softly. Claire rubbed his back as her heart began to ache. She wanted to tell him that even if he did kiss Anna, Colleen did worse and he had nothing to worry about. She couldn't, and she knew she couldn't, she couldn't break his heart.

"People make mistakes, Ry… there's nothing you can do about it. I mean… I know you feel horrible, but it was just a kiss. You didn't sleep with her or anything," Claire said.

"That's not the point! I made a commitment to Colleen and I broke it! What would you do if Kirk kissed another woman?" he asked. Claire pressed her lips together. He had a point.

"That's different though," she said. Ryan's eyebrows furrowed.

"How the hell is it any different?" he asked. Claire sighed and shrugged.

"Jim is different. Jim is a recovering womanizer. I'm his first steady girlfriend. You are different. You are completely loyal, and you would never do this to hurt anyone. It was a mistake, and you are allowed to make one every once in a while." Ryan pressed his lips together and looked at the ground.

"Not this type of mistake…" he muttered. Claire resisted the urge to roll her eyes and she continued to hub his back.

"Stop being so hard on yourself. If you feel that bad about it, tell Colleen. If she loves you, she'll understand…" Even as the words left her mouth, she wanted to take them back. She knew damn well that Colleen didn't love him, and she hated giving her brother false hope. If Colleen really loved him, she would have told him that she cheated first.

"You're right. I just pretty much crawled into bed last night and apologized before falling asleep. I need to tell her!" He declared and rose from his seat. He pushed his coffee towards his sister and left. As she enjoyed her second cup of coffee, Claire silently swore that if Colleen gave him any grief about what he did, she would punch her in the stomach. As horrible as it sounded, a baby like that would be better dead than being raised by that bitch.

"Conaway, get your ass up!" Claire frowned and gave a heavy sigh. She was pretty sure that she would rather deal with Colleen then McCoy.

"I'm moving, I'm moving…"

* * *

Ryan gave a heavy sigh as he walked down the hallway with his best friend. He has just finished dumping all his problems onto Rupert, who listened intently and just shrugged.

"Shit happens," Rupert said. Ryan sighed and glanced at his friend, noticing the few nasty bruises on his jaw.

"Shit… did you get mugged?" Ryan asked. Rupert turned white and gave an awkward cough.

"No… I-uh… I got into a fight with a guy at a bar. He had one nasty right-hook." Ryan shook his head and her turned a corner, only to almost fall over when he ran into someone.

"Shit, I'm sorry," Ryan said.

"No, it's okay. I'm…" The person trailed off, and it took Ryan a second to realize who it was.

"Anna…" he breathed. Anna turned pale and turned around, practically running in the other direction. Ryan sighed and light banged his head against the wall.

"Jesus…" Rupert muttered.

"Fuck my life," Ryan whined. Rupert just looked at his friend and frowned. If only he knew.

* * *

**Liam/Alex Lemon**

* * *

Alex walked into his room, tired from dealing with all the incompetent interns and trying to run sickbay with McCoy gone. After everyone had left for the away mission, McCoy had been called by the captain to attend some refresher courses down on the planet, leaving the doctor who had been working the longest on the Enterprise in charge. Alex was not happy, especially since his boyfriend was still avoiding him. When Alex didn't have the graveyard shift, Liam would offer to take it. When Alex did, Liam stayed out of his way so he wouldn't be assigned to it also. It was really starting to take a toll on Alex and he was sick of it.

"Liam?" Alex had made sure that all the interns were working the graveyard shift as a punishment tonight and had told Liam that he would be working as well, but he had no intention of doing so. Instead, he was finally going to get this elephant out of the room. Perhaps by luck or maybe even fate, Liam chose that moment to walk out of their bathroom wearing nothing, but a towel.

"Alex? What are you doing here? I thought you had graveyard duty tonight," Liam snapped, pull his towel tighter around his lower half. Without a word, Alex crossed the room and embraced his boyfriend. Liam's hair was wet and dripped onto Alex's shirt, but he didn't care. He missed Liam, his quirky attitude, and even all his comments about their sex life. Liam froze, unsure of what to do, as Alex buried his face into his naked shoulder. He could feel the heat from the shower emanating from Liam's soft skin and the light smell of their green tea and cucumber soap. Tentatively, Alex stuck his tongue out and ran it across the exposed flesh. Liam shivered, but pushed him away.

"You're my boyfriend, what's wrong with that?" Alex asked angrily as the feeling of rejection settled in. Liam folded his arms and glared.

"It's been almost a month now without any kind of sexual stuff. No hugging, no kissing, and no sex. You just want to walk in here one night and make with the sex stuff again? You denied me, Alex. So we're not doing anything until you tell me why," Liam demanded, his glare never wavering. Alex flinched under the look and motioned for them to move to take a seat on the bed. As Alex took a seat, he kick his work boots off to the side and tried to ignore the fact that his boyfriend was sitting on their bed wearing nothing, but a towel. He swallowed the lump forming in this throat and began.

"I'm sorry, you're right. It's just… we've been together now for about three months and all we've done has had a lot of sex. I mean, it's good sex. Great sex! Sexual orientation changing sex even!" Alex paused as he realized that Liam's glare intensified. He gulped and continued.

"It's just that, there's more to a relationship than sex. I know I sound like the dorky sensitive guy right now, but look at Claire and Kirk. They've been together how long now and haven't had any sex yet. They go on dates and stay up all night just talking. We don't have that… and I just wanted use to try to have that. So I denied you sex because I thought we could have a stable relationship without it, but I guess I was wrong…" Alex trailed off and looked to the floor, conflicted between wanting and not wanting to see Liam's reaction. As Alex's words registered in his head, Liam sighed.

"You're a fucking idiot, Alex. You can't make that kind of decision by yourself. I had no idea and felt so hurt after you rejected me that night. We can do without the sex, but we need to agree on something like that," Liam scolded, causing Alex to flinch at his harsh words. After a few moments of silence, Liam sighed and crawled across the bed, wrapping his arms around Alex's night.

"I'm so sorry, babe…" Liam buried his face in Alex's hair, enjoying the familiar scent and the soothing feeling of holding him in his arms again. Alex leaned back into the touch as Liam brushed his lips across his ears.

"You owe me. Because of your pigheadedness, I've been suffering from lack of sex for close to a month. What are you going to do about it, Mr. Chambers?" He asked in a low seductive voice. Alex couldn't help, but smile. Liam wasn't the only one who'd been suffering. Liam kept his arms around Alex's neck as the taller boy turned around to face his boyfriend.

"That's Dr. Chambers to you," he said as he leaned down and captured Liam's lips with a hungry look in his eyes. They closed their eyes, enjoying the feeling as each other's soft lips after so long. Alex couldn't help, but snake a hand down Liam's back and grab his ass through his towel, causing the smaller man to squirm. Alex smiled into the kiss as Liam forced his tongue into his mouth, trying to fight for dominance. After a few seconds of failing, he decided to bring out the big guns as Alex continued to wrestle with his tongue. Without Alex noticing, Liam slipping his hand down around his hips and pressed his palm into Alex's crotch. Alex pulled back out of the kiss and let out a throaty moan as Liam repeated his action, this time with a little more force.

"You're way too overdressed for this party, Dr. Chambers," Liam instructed as he forced Alex onto his back. Without missing a beat, Liam pulled his towel off revealing his very erect penis and pushed it against Alex's thigh, causing him to moan again. Alex practically ripped his shirt off and chucked it across the room, pulling his lover down on top of his naked upper half. They resumed kissing as Alex ran his hand along Liam's bare chest, his fingers gently caressing his nipples. Liam resisted a moan as he leaned down a ran his tongue across Alex's slight six-pack, stopping when he reached the hem of his work pants. He ran his tongue back up to Alex's left nipple as his hands went to work unbuttoning his pants.

"You tease," Alex groaned as Liam's hand just barely brushed over his aching groin which was trying to break through the barrier keeping it from Liam.

"Your pants are the real tease here, not I," Liam defended in a playful tone as he slowly drug Alex's pants down. Alex felt patience slowly leaving him as he kicked his pants off the rest of the way, causing Liam to straddle his leg.

"I've been wanting you for too long, stop dragging this out," Alex pleaded as Liam purposely moved his knee against Alex's crotch. Alex felt his eyes practically roll to the back of his head, as Liam licked his lips noting the bulge in Alex's black briefs. Wasting no time in getting to the prize, Liam gently pulled on the hem of Alex's briefs and pulled them over his pulsating member.

"You're not the only one, babe…" Liam trailed off, pulling his underwear off the rest of the way. With nothing else standing in their way, Liam leaned forward and their burning hot centers touched, causing both men to moan. Liam reached down and grabbed Alex's member with his right hand and slowly started to move his hand up the shaft. Alex mimicked his motion and slide his hand down between their hot naked bodies until he grasp Liam in his hand. As if pulled together by a magnet charge, they locked lips again and began to jack each other off. Liam whimpered into Alex's mouth, the sheer pleasure causing his actions to start to get a little sloppy. Alex pulled away from Liam's hungry lips and flipped the man onto his back, his eyes filled with lust.

"I cannot wait anymore," Alex mumbled. He reached across the bed to the side table and picked up an almost forgotten bottle of lotion. Alex poured some of the lubricant onto his hand and began using it to cover his penis. Liam watched intently, excited that they were really going to do it for the first time in almost a month. When Alex was finished, Liam turned around and positioned himself for Alex, who was already getting ready. He gently inserting his fingers into Liam's hole, using the rest of the lotion to prep him. After a few minutes, Liam let out a whining noise.

"Come on Alex, just do it," he pleaded. Alex nodded and placed himself on top of Liam, positioning his penis directly overtop Liam's anus. With one swift motion, Alex pushing his pelvis forward and inserted himself into Liam. Liam's face crinkled up as a wave of pain wash over him, but it was small and lasted only seconds before the sensation of Alex filling him up overtook him. He groaned, letting Alex know it was safe to proceed. It had taken Alex's all his self-control to not begin thrusting until Liam's tight hole, allowing the man under him to get comfortable with the new feeling. He reached around and grasped Liam's member in his hands against and he began to pump in and out of Liam's butt. Liam almost came right there and then as Alex's hot breath caressed his neck and his thrusting sped up, both from behind and from his hand. He could barely hold out as Alex began grunting from behind. Liam was on cloud nine as the only sounds echoing through the room were their grunts, their heavy breathing, and the creaking of their bed.

"Damn, you're so damn tight," Alex grunted, thrusting his pelvis deeper into the man below him. Liam cried out in pleasure as Alex hit his sweet spot. Hearing his boyfriend's wail, Alex began to speed up his thrusting, his own moaning growing louder by the second.

"Oh god A-Alex…" Alex felt the muscles in Liam's anus begin to tighten around his member. He continued to pound away into his lover, gently kneading the flesh around his ass. Liam could barely hold out any longer as he felt Alex let out a long grunt, filling Liam with his fluids.

"I'M COMING!" Alex groaned, his thrusts slowly down. His body was coated in sweat and he tried to catch his breathing, He gave a few final thrusts as Liam curled his toes.

"ALEX!" Liam's body began to twitch as he came all over the sheets on their bed. Both men collapsed onto the mattress, completely exhausted. Liam turned around to face Alex and pulled his closer, locking their lips again.

"Yeah, we really needed that," Liam said between kisses with a smile.

* * *

Anna Lopez prided herself on many things. She liked the fact that she could deal with Klingons twice her size, and when it came to hanging around men, she could hold her own. This, however, was not something she could handle.

"Claire, what-" Claire rushed in and dumped a pile of clothes on the Hispanic woman's bed.

"I need help," she said. Anna paused and looked at the pile of clothes and sighed.

"Claire, now really isn't a good time. I'm-"

"I know about Ryan," Claire said, picking up a skirt. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"You know? About the… um… kiss?" Claire nodded and picked up another skirt, scrunching her nose and tossing it aside.

"Yeah. Normally I'd say go for it, but he's a bit busy with the whore right now. I'd say wait until she cracks under the pressure and tells him. He'll break up with her and you'll be free to move in. Now…" She held up a paid of dark jeans and a black skirt that flowed and went to mid thigh. "Jeans or skirt?" she asked.

"Claire… seriously? I just kissed your brother, who is engaged to a woman who cheated on him and is having another mans baby, and you're asking me about clothes?" Claire sighed and put down the articles of clothing.

"Look, all that sucks, it really does. I'm sorry you're now a part of it, but there isn't anything you or I can do about it. I love my brother, more than anything. But I'm going out to dinner with Jim to this really romantic restaurant near the beach and I'm pretty sure tonight is the night I'm going to finally take it to the next level with him. I'm not going to let all this drama get to me, and you shouldn't either," Claire said.

"I'm sorry I'm pushing this on you, but I have no idea what to wear. Normally I'd go to Liam, but he's not here. You happen to be my only female friend and I don't know what to wear. I need help," Claire whispered. Anna paused and looked at the blonde in front of her before picking up a knee length blue skit and a spaghetti strap tank top with a dark blue thread embroidery.

"Wear this with heels. It's not drop dead sexy, but it's romantic," Anna said. Claire nodded and took the clothes from Anna.

"Thank you so much!" She said, running to use Anna's bathroom. Anna sighed and took a seat on her bed, glancing over the pile of clothes that Claire had brought over. It still blew her mind that Claire was completely okay that she not only kissed her brother, but also had a major crush on him. And she was enjoying hoping that he and Colleen would break up and go out with her. Then again, Ryan going out with a man would be better than him marrying Colleen at this point. After a few minutes, Claire came out of the bathroom, smoothing out her skirt.

"So how do I look?" Anna knew she wasn't a lesbian, she'd been over that phase in high school, but she could barely keep her jaw from hitting the ground. Somehow, Claire managed to make such a simple outfit appear as sexy as lingerie.

"Yeah, Kirk won't be able to keep his hands off you," Anna told Claire with a smile as the blonde turned around to show off the outfit.

"Good, that's the point of tonight, right?" she asked. Anna laughed and shook her head.

"Whatever you say."

* * *

Jim ran a hand through his hair as he waited for Claire to walk into the lobby. He didn't wear a suit, that was only for special occasions, but he was decked out in a dark blue dress shirt and black dress pants. It seemed dress shirts and dress pants were the uniform for romantic dates. The sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, making sure he didn't get too hot.

He heard the sound of heels clicking and he turned to the stairs, where Claire emerged. Her outfit would've looked simple on any other girl, but due to the small tan she had accumulated, and the subtle curves of her body, she looked gorgeous. Her hair fell in loose waterfall curls, and she had a light layer of make-up. She walked over to him and smiled.

"Hey, you weren't waiting long… where you?" she asked. He looked her up and down and shook his head.

"No," he said simply. She smiled and took his hand in hers.

"You ready?" she asked. He simply leaned forward and pressed his lips onto hers briefly before pulling away and kissing her forehead.

"You look absolutely beautiful," he whispered. She turned bright red.

"Thank you, you look absolutely handsome, like always," she replied. He smirked and straightened out his shirt.

"I know," he said confidently, puffing out his chest a little for emphasis. Claire smiled and lightly smacked him on the arm.

"Let's go," she said, grabbing onto his arm. Like a gentleman, Jim lead her out of the lobby and to a cab which was waiting to take them to dinner.

"To the Riviera, please," Jim said. The driver nodded and took off without another word. Claire leaned closer to Jim, enjoying the smell of his cologne and the way her body fit against his. Jim smiled and pulled her closer.

"Are you ready for the amazing night I have planned for you?" He asked with a grin, his eyes twinkling with mischief. Claire smiled.

"Why do I have the feeling that you've got something big planned for later?" Jim shrugged, but the smile never left his face.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. You'll just have to stick around for the whole night to see," he teased. She chuckled and shook her head. The cab stopped and they both got out of the car, Claire being careful not to rip her skirt or anything on the way out of the cab. Jim followed and quickly paid the man before leading his girlfriend into the restaurant.

"Can I help you?" The man asked, looking a little annoyed.

"I have a reservation. Two for Kirk, please." The man looked up and smiled.

"Mr. and Mrs. Kirk, right this way please," he said.

"No, we're not…" Claire trailed off as the man took off, leaving them in the dust. Jim chuckled and just kissed her temple.

"Come on, don't worry about it," he said. She nodded and continued to follow him to the table.

"Here you are, your table," the man said. Claire took a sharp intake of breath upon seeing the place. It was on the top of a hill that overlooked the city and the ocean.

"Oh, wow…" she said. The man chuckled and smiled at Jim.

"We get that a lot," he said. Jim laughed.

"I bet you do," he replied. Jim and Claire sat down and grabbed menus.

"Your waitress shall be with you in a moment," the man said. Jim nodded and waved him away, leaving the two of them.

"Jim, this is really nice, but this looks so expensive," Claire said. Jim chuckled and reach out to take hold of her hand.

"Claire, don't worry about it. I'm treating you to a nice dinner. Just sit back and enjoy it," he said. Claire gave a nod, but still looked a little unsure. Jim laughed and leaned over to kiss her quickly. She smiled into the kiss and looked up as the waitress approached them.

"What can I get you two?" she asked.

"Some red wine please? We're not done with the menu," Jim said. The woman nodded and shot them a quick smile before leaving. Jim looked up from his menu at Claire.

"See anything you like?" She bit her lip as her eyes scanned the menu.

"I'm thinking about trying the Three Cheese Chicken Penne," she said, her eyes still never leaving the menu. Jim nodded, but his gaze never left her. "What about you, see anything you like?"

"Yes, and she's absolutely beautiful," he told her with a seductive smile. Claire blushed as she peaked out over the top of the menu to see Jim staring at her.

"I meant on the menu, doofus," she said, her blush increasing. Part of her thought perhaps all this was a dream that she'd wake up from any minute and another part of her was telling her to just enjoy herself. James T. Kirk was all, but throwing himself at her. She'd never seen him be this genuine with anyone else before and she couldn't get rid of the butterflies that still flew about in her stomach, even after all this time.

"I was just being honest," he told her. She chuckled and put the menu down. He smiled and reached across and took hold of her hand. She forced the butterflies back down in her stomach and looked into his eyes.

"I love you," she said. If possible, the smile on his face got even wider, and he brought her hand to his lips.

"I love you too," he said. The waitress came and took their order and left them alone. Jim let his thumb caress her hand and smiled.

"Did you ever think that we'd be here?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Claire asked. He shrugged.

"I don't know. When we firs met, did you ever think that we could've gotten to this point?" he asked. She only took a second to think about it before shaking her head.

"Honestly, I didn't. I mean… at first it was just sex, and now…"

"It's more," he said. She nodded and pressed her lips together.

"Much more…" The waitress came back and placed their food down. Claire smiled and subconsciously licked her lips, causing Jims hold on her hand tighten for a moment. God, he wanted her so bad. They ate dinner with light conversation until their plates were empty.

"Would you two care for desert?" The waitress asked as she removed their plates. Claire thought about it for a minute before shaking her head. Jim mimicked her actions causing the waitress to leave the table.

"So what's next?" Claire asked, wondering what else Jim might have planned. He just gave her an innocent smile as the check was brought to the table.

"Have a nice evening, Mr. and Mrs. Kirk," she said, placing the check in front of Jim. He quickly pulled out his money and gave it back to the waitress.

"Keep the change." Jim rose from his seat and crossed to the other side of the table where Claire was seated. "The night is still young, ready?" Jim asked, offering her his hand. Claire graciously accepted it and rose from her seat.

"Of course." he smiled and led her to the street, where the cab was waiting. Jim leaned toward the driver and whispered something in his ear, so Claire couldn't hear them, then leaned back. Claire just raised an eyebrow and looked back at him.

"Ready?" he asked. She gave him a skeptical look.

"Where are we going?" she asked. He chuckled and pulled her to him.

"Don't worry about it, it's a surprise," he told her. She scrunched her nose.

"I hate surprises," she told him. They drove in silence until they reached an empty field, where nothing but a hot air balloon stood. Jim paid the driver once more and practically dragged her out of the car.

"Jim! Jesus, what are you doing?" she asked. He took her to the balloon and simply smiled. Inside the basket was a bottle of champagne and two glasses, along with a white rose.

"After you," Jim said. She paused and looked back into the balloon.

"No! Are you serious?" she asked. He chuckled and nodded.

"Yup, you have to get in first," he said. She paused and turned bright red.

"I can't get in that!" he raised an eyebrow.

"Why not? Are you afraid of heights?" he asked.

"No… I'm wearing a skirt." He chuckled and she turned even redder. Her skirt was already short enough, and she didn't really feel like giving him a show. He reached out and picked her up, causing her to give a squeal of surprise. He laughed and placed her in the basket, making sure she was secure before hopping in himself. Claire glanced over her shoulder at Jim as he wrapped his arms around her middle.

"Do you trust me?" He whispered into her ear. Claire felt her heart swell at his words at nodded.

"With my life," she told him. He nodded and pulled away. She watched patiently as Jim fired up the balloon. At first, nothing happened, but after a few seconds Claire could see the ground begin to fade away around the basket.

"Don't worry, I've done this tons of times before," he reassured her, but Claire just smiled.

"I would hope so otherwise I might have to jump out of the balloon now before it gets too high. Two people can't survive on champagne alone," she said, chuckling at her own joke. Jim adjusted the balloon to where he wanted it to be and turned to the champagne.

"Speaking of champagne, can I get you a glass?" He asked, twisting the top off the bottle. Claire nodded, watching him struggle with the cork. Just as he managed to pull it off with a pop, it poured all over the front of his shirt and down his pants. Claire burst out laughing at the sight of her boyfriend.

"Jeez Jim, couldn't you wait until we got back to do that?" She said, gesturing to his soaked pants. He gave her a wicked smile.

"I can't help it, I have an absolutely beautiful girlfriend, who I happen to be in love with. Things happen," he said. She blushed at his compliment and helped him pour the champagne.

"I won't tell if you won't," she said. He poured the drink and smiled warmly.

"I appreciate it," he told her. She nodded and took a sip of the drink. After a moment the balloon stopped getting higher, and Claire gave a sigh as she looked out onto the scene. Jim stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle, enjoying the view and the woman in front of him.

"Why me?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow and looked down at her.

"What?" he asked. She sighed and looked up at him.

"Why me? I mean… you could have any other girl in the universe, and you chose me. Why?" she asked. He smirked and let his fingers trace over her cheek.

"Because you keep me grounded. Because you don't hold me back, if anything you push me forward. I love you because of everything you do," he said. She smiled and he leaned down to press his lips onto hers. She smiled into the kiss and took his free hand in her free hand. He pulled away and left a chaste kiss on her lips.

"I love you too," she said. He smiled and pressed his forehead against hers.

"You were the first girl to say no and the first girl I really wanted to get to know. It wasn't about how hot you were after that, it was just about you," he told her, his warm breath caressing her face. He leaned back down to kiss her again. "Your smile," he said, between kisses. "Your laugh." Another kiss followed. "Every your short temper and violent tendencies," he said with a chuckle, but he still leaned in to capture her lips. Claire was mesmerized by his words. She never knew that Jim was this passionate about her. He pulled away and looked into her eyes.

"It's everything," he whispered. Her fingers found their way to his face and she traced his jaw. "Why me?" he asked. She smiled, knowing he was teasing her a bit.

"Because, you were there for me when I needed you, even when I didn't. You made me believe in love again. You showed me that if you wait patiently enough, and trust someone enough, they can give you everything. You have the most gorgeous eyes, the best expressions. I even love it when you're egotistical and bigheaded." She leaned up and kissed him deeply. He kissed her back and almost whimpered when she pulled away.

"It's everything," she told him. He chuckled and ran his hand through her hair and sighed. His eyes continued to gaze over her pale face before he leaned down and softly placed his lips on her forehead. He pulled away and let his lips linger near her ear.

"Claire…" he whispered.

"Yes?" she answered. Her voice was quite, and for a moment she wasn't sure she answered him.

"I'm going to make love to you tonight," he said softly. His grip on her waist tightened and he dropped his champagne glass to the ground, so his other hand was free to caress her shoulders, her face, everywhere. Claire felt her stomach do a summersault as his words sunk in, and goose bumps erupted on her skin.

"Okay." Was her only answer.

* * *

**Claire/Kirk Lemon**

* * *

The ride home was painfully slow. The whole time Jim was caressing her skin and whispering all his plans for the night in her ear. When the cab finally stopped at the entrance of the hotel, she almost gave a cry of joy. They both ran out of the cab and into the lobby, their laughs echoing through the deserted entrance. There was even a point where Claire almost tripped on her own high heeled shoes, but Jim caught her and laughed.

"It's not funny, I almost broke my ankle," she said once they were in the elevator.

"I'm sorry, would you like me to kiss it and make it better?" he asked. She smiled and decided to be a little daring.

"That's not the only place you can kiss," she said softly. Jim paused before smirking widely and placing his hands on her waist.

"Eager are we?" he asked. She said nothing, but moved forward to kiss him, but he simply moved back, preventing her from kissing him.

"Tease," she hissed, a smile on her lips.

"Sweetheart, don't even get me started on teasing," he said. She blushed and was thankful the elevator doors opened. Jim practically pulled her out of the elevator and they ran down to their room. The moment the door opened, they both ran in and paused. Was this really happening?

Jim moved forward and caressed her cheek with his hand before leaning down and pressing his lips onto hers. She gave a sigh as she reached her arms up to wrap around his neck and pull herself closer to him. His hand traveled down so they were both on her waist and pulling her toward him. A small moan escaped her lips, and he used the opportunity to let his tongue enter her mouth, deepening the kiss. Her own hands dropped from his neck and she slowly began unbuttoning his dress shirt and letting her hands caress his toned chest.

"Claire," he said, his tone was husky and made her body tingle. She pushed the rest of his shirt off and pulled back to admire the view, despite the fact it was not the first time she had seen it. He leaned down and let his lips kiss her jaw, then travel down to her neck before letting his teeth graze against her sensitive skin. She let out a shaky breath before letting her nails lightly scratch his back. He groaned and let his hands travel up her shirt, getting a feel for her body.

She pulled away from him slightly and pulled her tank top over her head and finally exposed her skin to him. Jim felt his pants get tighter as he let his eyes travel over her blue strapless bra. He reached out and caressed her breasts through the fabric. She groaned and began slipping her shoes off. He did the same and tried to massage her breasts while slipping off his socks, but couldn't pull it off.

"God damnit," he hissed. He quickly leaned over and took off his socks, while she reached behind her and unclasped her bra. When he stood back up, his eyes were glued to her chest, making her suddenly self conscious when he didn't say anything.

"Jim," she said softly. He didn't reply, simply reached out and gently caressed them before taking her nipple in his mouth and letting his tongue explore it. She sighed in content and ran her hands through his hair and pulled him closer to her. Jim spent a few minutes attending to her chest, before kissing down her body to her stomach, and then to the waistband of her skirt. His free hand, which was down by her ankle, began tracing up her leg and under her skirt, while the other traveled down her side and stopped at the top of her skirt. Soon her skirt was on the floor, and his hand gently caressed her womanhood through her blue panties.

"James!" Claire hissed. Jim smirked and stood up, his blue eyes looking a little dark.

"Say it again," he said, his voice much lower than before. When she didn't reply, he slipped a finger under her panties, and she practically fell into him.

"James…" she whispered. He smirked and continued to tease her with his skilled fingers. She reached out and unbuckled his pants and let them drop to the floor. She reached out and slowly slid her hand over the large bulge in his underwear. If he was going to tease her, she was going to tease back. His free hand immediately grabbed her wrist and pulled it away.

"No," his muttered, leaning down and kissing her, whilst his fingers began probing her center, pumping in and out in a slow but steady motion.

"Your ruining my fun," she muttered, her breath labored.

"If you do that, there won't be any fun at all," he groaned. She furrowed her eyebrows before she got the meaning and nodded.

"Well stop play- Oh!" she stopped and let out a small moan, causing him to smile widely and began assaulting her neck. His free hand pulled down her panties, exposing her flesh to the cold air, and she shivered. His fingers suddenly left her, and she gave a groan of protest.

"Sorry, love," he whispered. He distracted her by kissing her deeply, his kisses still loving, but much more passionate than she was used to. She took the opportunity to reach out and pull his briefs down, leaving them both completely naked in front of each other. Jim gently forced her onto her back onto the bed as he continued his assault on her lips. Claire reached up and ran one hand through his hair and kept the other placed firmly on his chest as he allowed his own fingertips to wander against her chest. She could feel his member pressing against her thighs which did nothing, but make her even more wet, anticipating what was to come. Jim pulled away from her lips and allowed his mouth to trail kisses down her neck until he reached her breast. Tentatively, his tongue darted out and brushed across her nipple, wetting it. Before Claire could say anything, he blew across the sensitive nub, causing Claire to cry out.

"Stop teasing!" She hissed. She could feel him smile into her breast as he continued his work. Growing tired of his teasing, Claire decided to turn the tables. Jim was still very involved in her chest and she was starting to lose her focus, but she snaked her arms around Jim's waist and flipped him onto his back.

"What are you-" Claire silenced him with a kiss, catching him off guard. She let her hands wander over his body, her fingers just barely grazing his own sensitive nipples. She smiled into the kiss as Jim's breath caught in his throat just as her hand hit his manhood.

"I'm not going to wait around forever for you, _James_," she said in a breathless whisper. She felt him grow harder in her hand as he flipped her back underneath of him.

"No more teasing then," he replied, his breathing becoming heavier as he pulled her hand away. He forced his lips upon hers once more, still gentle, but a lot more demanding than their earlier kisses. Claire moaned into the kiss as she felt Jim position himself over her entrance. Slowly, he lowered himself into her until she could feel his balls at her entrance. She winced, having not done this in a long time, but the brief moment of pain gave way to waves of pleasure.

"Ugh… Jim…" She mumbled, her eyes closed as he began to slowly thrust into her. Their bodies moved together, finding a rhythm that seemed to suit them both. Sweat rolled down their naked bodies as their bare flesh rubbed against each other, the friction slowly driving Jim mad. He sped up his pace, trying to battle for dominance in their lip lock. Claire was winning the wrestling of their tongues until he hit her sweet spot. Claire pulled out of their kiss to let out a cry of pleasure. Jim smiled as he continued to hit the same spot, sending Claire onto cloud nine. She could barely even see anymore, blinded by the overwhelming pleasure. Jim could feel her walls tightening around him and he continued ramming into her.

"J-JAMES!" Claire called out, the muscles in her stomach clenching as her walls closed around Jim's member. Jim felt his eyes roll to the back of his head as he felt his own orgasm approaching. Claire arched her back, losing herself as her whole body tensed up. She'd never had such a powerful orgasm in her life. All she could feel was Jim inside of her and pure bliss. She drove her fingernails into his back, trying to hold on for support as she rode out her orgasm.

"CLAIRE!" He cried out, feeling himself practically exploding inside Claire. He gave a few last thrusts, his member still pulsating inside of her as Claire began to come back down from her own orgasm. Jim collapsed on top of Claire, breathing heavily as he smiled down at her. His lips gently kissed her neck before he pulled out of her and rolled over so he was on his back.

Both of them just laid down and tried to catch their breath before Jim turned toward her kissed her temple before kissing her lips lightly. His kiss was no longer passionate, and was loving as he slowly moved his lips with her. After a moment he broke away and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Claire Conaway," he whispered. She smiled and kissed him.

"I love you too, James Kirk," she replied. He smirked and let his lips brush against her neck.

"Ready for round two?" he asked. She smiled and simply kissed his lips and rolled on top of him.

* * *

The light made it's way through the windows and onto her face, though she was only aware of it now. She shifted a bit, but found that she couldn't go too far, due to a pair of arms holding her close. Claire moved against the arms, and realized that the only thing separating her skin from the morning air, was the sheet on top of her. Her eyes snapped open and memories of the previous night flooded back to memory, making her blush.

Jims head was buried in her bare shoulder, making her wonder how he was breathing, but she didn't dwell on it. The moment she tried to turn, his eyes fluttered open and his gorgeous blue eyes met her grey. He gave a lopsided smile and let her turn so she was facing him.

"Morning," she said. He smiled and leaned down, kissing her deeply.

"Good morning," he said when he pulled away. She sighed and nuzzled against his chest.

"I could get used to this wake-up," she said softly. He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"I could too, maybe we can do more sleepovers when we get back onto the ship," he suggested. She smiled and let her lips gently caress his chest.

"Hmm… maybe," she told him. He smiled and gently guided her head so he could meet his lips with hers. His lips were soft at first, but the moment he felt her lightly nibble his bottom tongue, he deepened it. His tongue gently probed her mouth, earning a small moan from her. He then slowly pulled away, but still gave her soft and gentle kiss on her lips.

"Are you looking for a replay from last night?" he asked. She smirked and kissed his neck.

"Only if you can make it worth my while," she told him. He chuckled and let his hands roam down her body.

"It might take a while," he warned her. She smiled into his neck and pulled back a bit.

"We don't have classes till three," she told him. That was all Jim needed to know before turning her on her back to continue where they left off the night before.

* * *

"So, how did your date go?" Anna asked. Claire smiled and simply shrugged.

"Fine," she replied. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"More than fine the way I figure." Claire turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"How did you…" Anna laughed.

"You just have that look. The one you get when you haven't had sex in a while and finally got some," Anna told her. Claire frowned and took a sip of her coffee. She thought she looked normal, sure it was a bit difficult for her to walk at first, but soon she was just fine and was going on her merry way. She didn't think she had a look to her.

"Well, if you were wondering, it went more than fine. It went fucking-fantastic," she told Anna. Anna chuckled and nudged her.

"Emphasis on the fucking part, right?" Claire blushed.

"Actually, all of it, and I mean _all_ of it, was fantastic," she said. Anna laughed and shook her head.

"Well, good for you! Just thing, we have classes tonight and tomorrow morning, but we're heading home tomorrow night and you can have all the fun you want," Anna pointed out. Claire laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, until I have work the next day, let's see how well that goes." Anna was about to respond, but suddenly stopped and turned pale.

"I have to go, nice talking to you Claire," Anna said before turning around and running off.

"Wait, where you…" Claire trailed off and raised an eyebrow, wondering what was so scary that the Hispanic woman needed to run off.

"Claire," she heard Ryan said.

"Oh, that'd do it," she muttered. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked.

"You keep scaring away my friends! Stop it!" she snapped. Ryan rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair.

"I wasn't trying to scare her away. God, I hate this," he muttered. Claire shot her brother a sympathetic look and patted his back.

"It's okay," she said.

"No, it's not okay! I mean… I wasn't best friend with Anna, but I loved hanging out with her. Now she won't even look at me," Ryan said, his shoulders slouching with his every word. Claire sighed.

"I'm sure she just needs time to figure this out. In the meantime, you've still got me and Rupert," she offered, though Rupert's name came out a little harsher than she meant it. Ryan didn't seem to pick up on it though as they continued through the halls.

"He's been kind of avoiding me too. Jeez, I don't even know what I'm doing to piss people off now," he ranted and Claire rolled her eyes.

"Well I can tell you what you're doing to piss me off right now. I just had the most amazing night with Jim and now you're ruining my good day. You're a big boy, Ryan, and you know what you have to do," she told him, searching the halls for her next class.

"Amazing… what did you do?" he asked. She rolled her eyes and stopped walking. She took her brothers hand and pressed her lips together.

"Look, you are an awesome guy, and I love you… but you are stupid! Talk to them, stop moping around and see what's up!" Ryan ran a hand through his hair and nodded.

"I know… I know," he said. Claire smiled and looked at the door behind him.

"Oh! Found it!" She said. She patted her brother on the shoulder and went to open the door.

"Wait… Claire…" she turned around and looked at her brother.

"Yeah?" she asked. He paused before his eyebrows furrowed.

"Amazing night?" he asked. She smirked and shrugged.

"You'll never know…"

* * *

"Did you pack already?" Anna asked. After their classes, Anna and Claire decided to go get a quick drink and dinner. Claire was supposed to meet Jim for dinner, but he ended up getting held up by a meeting, and promised to make it up to her later.

"No… I planned to pack this morning, but I got distracted," Claire said. Anna smiled.

"Distracted is an understatement," Anna said. Before Claire could reply, Ryan walked over to the table, but paled upon seeing Anna.

"Oh… um, I guess I should-"

"No! Sit down!" Claire snapped. Ryan paused and glared at his sister before finally sitting down. There was a pause before Anna spoke.

"Look I-"

"Listen to me… you two are adults, start acting like it. Okay, you kissed each other, so what? Admit that it was a mistake and move on, or admit that it wasn't and do something about it. As sad as it sounds, you guys are my only friends right now, so I need you two to be on good terms so I can talk about my amazing boyfriend because it's about me right now. So make up!" Claire said. Ryan and Anna awkwardly exchanged glances, but said nothing. Not wanting to wait any longer, Claire elbowed her brother in the side.

"Alright, alright. Jesus Christ…" Ryan mumbled, causing Anna to burst out laughing.

"You two always remind me of me and my six brothers when you fight," Anna said, still chuckling at their behavior. Claire shrugged.

"Yes, brothers will be brothers," she said, giggling herself. Ryan folded his arms.

"Yeah, well sisters will be sisters. Especially this one," he said, placing his hand on the top of Claire's hand and ruffling up her hair. Claire turned to face him and slapped him.

"No messing up the hair. Did you know how long it took me to get it straightened today?" She snapped, gesturing to her perfect straight blonde hair. Anna nodding with a knowing look on her face.

"Tell me about it. Sex hair can be the worst," she mused, causing Ryan to raise an eyebrow.

"So much for me never knowing about your 'amazing' night," Ryan mumbled, taking a nice long sip of his beer. Claire wearily glanced at her brother.

"You know, I thought you'd react worse to the news than you are." Ryan shrugged at her statement.

"Your boyfriend and I had a talk. He eases up on the PDA and I'll cut you two some slack," Ryan explained. Anna gave him a thoughtful look.

"Oh yeah, wasn't that the same night that you wet yourself?" She asked, a sly smile spread across her face. Claire burst out laughing at Anna's words.

"He seriously wet himself?"

"Oh yes, it was the funniest thing I've ever seen," Anna said. Claire was still laughing as she looked at her brother.

"I was attacked by a Klingon!" Claire only laughed harder. Anna had calmed her laughter and took a look at Ryan, who rolled his eyes and looked back at her. The moment their eyes met, Anna felt her heart skip a beat and she looked down at Claire, who had finally had calmed down.

"That's almost as funny as the time you got a boner in the middle of algebra class and had to go to the front of the room." Anna couldn't hid the laughter and snort that escaped her lips and the table fell into laughter.

* * *

Colleen glanced over at Anna, who was sitting next to Claire and Jim Kirk in the shuttle on the way back to the ship. From the moment Ryan had told her that they had become friends, she knew something was up. And now, the way she kept looking at Ryan, she was positive something was up. She had tried talking to Rupert about it, but he simply brushed it off and told her she had no room to talk. Colleen looked up at her fiancé, and frowned when she saw him looking intently at Anna.

"So… how is Anna?" Colleen asked softly. Ryan recognized her prying voice, but shrugged.

"She's fine, I think. We went out drinking with Claire earlier. W-Why?" He asked, trying to hide the stutter in his voice. _She knows, _he thought, _she knows that something is going on._

"You two seem pretty close," Colleen replied. Ryan shook his head.

"We're just friends, you have nothing to worry about," he lied as Anna waved to them from across the shuttle craft. Ryan waved back, a goofy smile plastered on his face. Colleen folded her arms.

"You're lying," Colleen stated. Ryan swallowed the lump that was slowly forming in his throat and sighed.

"You're prying," he countered back. Colleen turned to him and glared.

"I'm concerned about the way you're acting around Anna. Considering you're going to be my husband soon, I think I have room to worry," she hissed, trying not to draw attention to them. Ryan returned her glare.

"So I can't be friends with girls now? My sister is one of my best friends, so does that make her a threat too?" He snapped. Colleen snorted and rolled her eyes.

"After your little display around Valentine's Day, I wonder sometimes," she spat. Ryan's eyes grew big.

"I thought we agreed not to talk about that anymore!" She shot him a look and pressed her lips together.

"It's a little hard to forget. I can't believe you would even go for a girl like Anna," she hissed. Ryan gave a frustrated groan and banged his head against the shuttle wall. They had three more minutes to go before he could get out of here, and he really didn't feel like dealing with this.

"Why? Because she's not always snapping at me? Jesus, Colleen… we're just friends," Ryan snapped. Colleen clenched her fists and glared at Anna, who was still talking to Claire. Claire, however, was glaring at Colleen, making the other blonde shift slightly. The shuttle shook a bit and finally stopped, signaling the end of the flight, and Colleen almost flew out of the shuttle.

Claire gave a sigh and followed Jim out of the shuttle and to the closest lift, just enjoying the silence between them and the fact that his hand was surrounding hers. When the lift closed, Jim kissed her temple.

"So… I was thinking we could have another sleepover tonight," he whispered. She blushed and turned toward him.

"I have work tomorrow, an early shift," she said. He smirked and kissed her jaw.

"I'll have you up in time for work, I promise," he whispered. She smirked and kissing his lips lightly.

"Only if you promise to wake me up," she told him. He smiled and kissed her deeply.

"If things go as planned, you probably won't even sleep," he whispered. Claire smiled into the kiss.

"I think I could get used to this," she whispered back.

* * *

"We talk about this now," Ryan said, surprising Anna with his entrance. They hadn't been back on the ship that long, but they were already working hard. Anna put her paperwork down and looked up.

"This kiss?" She asked, knowing exactly what he wanted. He nodded.

"I'm getting married in a few short days. I can't… you're a good friend, Anna, and I don't want to lose that. But I can't…. I don't have feelings for you," he explained, tripping over his words and trying to formulate his thoughts into sentences. Anna nodded.

"I understand. I want you and Colleen to be happy," she told him halfheartedly. She did just want him to be happy, but she'd rather him be happy with her. But she couldn't tell him that. Ryan gave a sigh of relief and took a seat next to her station.

"Good. You're one of my closest friends right now. The next step is to tell Colleen what happened though. We can't be happy if we're not honest with each other," he mused. Anna nodded, but unconsciously bit her lip. Perhaps Colleen would finally tell him the truth. If he was going to be an honest and decent man about his mistake, then maybe Colleen would too. Ryan looked at Anna, then looked down. "I don't want things to be weird between us," he said.

"I know, it won't. Don't worry," Anna said. Ryan nodded and stood up.

"I better get going then… you going to be alright?" he asked. She forced a smile and nodded.

"Of course," she said. Ryan nodded and went back to work, leaving Anna alone at the station. She went to turn back to her paperwork, but stopped when she felt her eyes sting with tears. As much as she hated to admit it, she really liked him. He was sweet, thoughtful, and usually put others in front of himself. He was chivalrous, and was above all, her friend.

"Fuck," she hissed while burying her face in her hands. She hated him, she hated him for the sheer fact that she like him. She banged her head against the desk.

"Fuck."

* * *

Ryan gave a heavy sigh as he paced their room. Colleen still hadn't returned from work, and he was still trying to pull together the courage to tell Colleen what happened, and if she didn't show up soon, he wasn't sure he would be able to. The doors opened and Colleen walked in, placing her tool bag on a chair and looking up at him. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she took a few more steps into the room.

"Ryan?" she asked. Ryan paused before taking a deep breath.

"I got drunk and kissed Anna on the away mission," he said. Colleen froze and her eyes met his.

"You… kissed her?" she asked softly. He nodded slowly.

"I just… I got drunk and I wasn't thinking straight. I'm so sorry," he said. Colleen looked down and ran a hand over her face.

"Ryan," she said softly.

"Please Colleen, I'm so sorry. Don't hate me," he asked. Colleen quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded.

"I don't…. I don't hate you Ryan, I just… I need some time," she said. He froze but nodded.

"I understand. I already asked Claire if I could room with her." Colleen nodded and crossed her arms.

"Alright…" there was a long pause between them before he spoke.

"I love you," he said. She looked down.

"I… I l-love you too," she said quietly. Ryan walked over and kissed the top of her head and left the room. He walked down the hallway and quickly came upon his sisters room just in time for her to open the door and walk out.

"Oh, Ryan… what are you doing here?" Claire asked. Ryan raised an eyebrow at his younger sister.

"You said I could spend a couple of nights here," he said. Claire paused before a look of realization came to her face.

"Right! Sorry, I was swamped with paper work when I got back, I sort of forgot," Claire said. Ryan raised an eyebrow and looked down in her arms, where she was holding a bag.

"Where are you going?" he asked. Claire blushed.

"Well… Jim sort of had something planned. I can cancel though, if you wanted to hang out or… something," Claire said. Ryan shook his head and forced a smile on his face.

"I'll be fine. Go and have… fun…" Claire simply watched her brother for a moment before she spoke.

"Did you tell Colleen that you like Anna?" Ryan glared at her.

"I do not like Anna!" he snapped. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Sure, whatever. What happened?" She asked, inviting him in the room. He sighed and sat down at her desk.

"I told her that I kissed Anna," he said. Claire nodded and she looked like she was expecting something more. When she said nothing he raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked.

"What happened after that? What did she say?" Claire asked. Ryan shrugged.

"Nothing, she just said she needed some time. Why?" Claire's jaw clenched and she gripped her bag a little tighter than usual.

"That…" Claire trailed off and glared at the ground.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Claire sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Nothing, nothing is wrong. Did you want me to stay and chill with you? I can always reschedule with Jim," Claire said. Ryan shook his head.

"No, of course not. Go! I don't want to keep you from your plans. Go hang out with Jim," he said. Claire pressed her lips together before moving forward and kissing his cheek.

"Everything will work out, I promise," she said. He nodded and smiled as she left the room.

* * *

Claire made her way down the hallway, stopping at Ryan's room and glaring at it for a good five minutes before entering the lift. She paused when she looked at who else was in the lift, but forced a smile on her face and pressed the floor for Jim's quarters.

"Good evening, Doctor Conaway," he said.

"Evening, Ensign Sheppard," she replied. He smiled and looked her up and down, then let his eyes rest on the small bag she had collected.

"Spending the night somewhere?" he asked. She simply glanced at him before looking forward.

"Yes, but that is really none of your business," she told him. He smirked at her retort, and let his eyes travel over her once more.

"Lucky man," he said simply. Claire didn't reply she simply crossed her arms and pressed her lips together. After a few minutes the doors opened and she stepped out.

"Nice talking to you, Doctor Conaway," he said. She simply shot him a look and made her way to her boyfriends room. She finally got there and smiled upon seeing his handsome face. He leaned in and pressed his lips onto hers before letting her inside.

"Hey beautiful," he whispered. She smiled.

"Hello handsome," she replied. He kissed her forehead before moving away to get a glass of wine.

"You brought an extra uniform?" he asked. She nodded and placed her bag on the couch.

"Yeah, I figured I'd set the alarm and just go to my shift from here," she said. He smiled and moved forward, giving her the glass.

"I love a woman who thinks ahead," he said. She smiled and took a sip of her wine. He did the same and they stood in silence for a moment. "You alright?" he asked, seeing the slightly disturbed look on his girlfriends face.

"I'm fine… just dealing with Ryan's extra baggage, and ensign creeper," she said. Jim raised an eyebrow.

"Ensign creeper?" he asked. She laughed and finished up her wine and placed it on the coffee table.

"I don't want to talk about that," she said. He shrugged and put his glass down as well.

"Alright, what do you want to talk about?" he asked. She smirked and ran her hands down his chest, stopping at his abs.

"Who said anything about talking?"

* * *

"Rocky, sit!" Ryan snapped. His sisters dog paused and looked at him before complying and sitting down. Ryan sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Is it bring your pet to work night?" A voice asked. His heart leapt at the familiarity of the voice, and his stomach clenched. He turned and his grey eyes met her warm brown.

"Uh, no… but I couldn't just leave him in the room," Ryan said. Upon seeing Anna, Rocky jumped up and ran over to her. Ryan was about to speak, but stopped when she laughed and kneeled down.

"Hey buddy, oh, he's so cute!" she said. She began scratching behind his ear, causing the dogs tongue to roll out of his mouth and pant. She chuckled and continued to pet him. "Is he your dog?" she asked.

"No… he's my sisters. I'm staying with her and I couldn't leave him alone," he said. Anna looked up and furrowed her eyebrows.

"Why are you saying with…" she railed off when she caught the look on his face and looked down. "Oh…"

"She said that she couldn't deal with me. God, I'm such an idiot," he muttered. She sighed before standing up and walking over to him. She hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder and offered a smile.

"Things will work out," she told him. He paused and looked up at her. Her eyes were so warm and so caring it almost made his heart ache. He forced a smile onto his face and looked down.

"I hope so…" she smiled and walked back to Rocky, who nudged her hand. She chuckled and pet his head before turning back to him.

"Goodnight… Ryan," she said, picking up a few piles of paper work and went back to her station. He sighed and called Rocky to him, smiling when the dog put his head on his knee.

"Goodnight… Anna."

* * *

Consciousness slowly came to her, and she recognized she was not alone. She sighed when she felt his warm lips against her shoulder, and a smile made it's way to her face. His hand traveled down her body and rested on her naked thigh, causing her stomach to clench and her eyes to open.

"Morning," Jim whispered. Claire smiled and turned her head toward him.

"Very good morning," she replied. She leaned up and kissed him deeply before pulling away and pressing her forehead against his. He smiled and they just laid in each others embrace for a minute.

"I'm glad you decided to stay the night," Jim said. She smiled and let her fingers caress his arm.

"Me too." She paused and began to turn. "What time is it?" she asked. Jim looked up at his clock then back to her.

"0830 hours, why?" Her eyes shot open and she jumped up, almost falling out of the bed.

"Shit! I'm late!" she cried. Jim just laid back and blinked at her as she ran across the room to her bag.

"What?" he asked.

"My shift! I was supposed to report on shift an hour ago!" she called. She ran into the bathroom with all her clothes and he heard the shower start. He briefly debated on joining her, but he'd probably just make her later, and madder. So, instead, he began to dress himself. Ten minutes later, Claire burst out of the bathroom in her underwear, and was in the middle of putting her uniform dress on. Jim laughed and walked over to help her.

"Claire, just take a deep breath. It's not the end of the world," he told her. She sighed and pulled her wet hair back.

"No, but it's really bad juju," she said, moving over to the bed and grabbing her knee length boots.

"Bad juju?" he asked.

"Yes. The last time I was late was the day that Riley's wife died, and you almost got killed. It's bad juju!" he rolled his eyes but leaned down and kissed her deeply. When he pulled away he kissed her forehead and smiled.

"Alright, I'll go with the bad juju thing. Have fun at work," he said. She rolled her eyes and finished with her boots.

"So much fun. I love you," she said, kissing him once more. He smiled into the kiss and sighed when she broke away.

"Love you too," he replied. Claire gave a small wave before bolting out the door and down the hall to the lift.

* * *

"Dr. Conaway, might I have a word?" McCoy snapped as Claire dashed through the front door of sickbay. Liam and Alex looked up from their work to see her face turn deep read.

"Of course, Dr. McCoy," she replied through her clenched teeth, secretly cursing her boyfriend. She loved him, but it was his fault that she was so damn late! Claire followed McCoy into his office, her head down in shame knowing her fault. Just as Claire stepped through his office door, McCoy lunged at the door and slammed in shut.

"I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS! This is _my _sickbay, you are _my _doctor, and you will arrive on time because I am in charge here!" He cried out, pointing an accusing finger at her. Claire felt herself instinctively take a step back at his outcry, his stare baring a hole into her head.

"I'm sorry, Dr. McCoy, it won't ever happen again," she rushed out, but the glare on McCoy's face only increased at her words. "And I'll accept any punishment you have for me," she added, hoping to calm the older man down. McCoy pinched the bridge of his nose and crossed the room to his desk.

"I can't punish you. The captain, your _boyfriend_, has informed me that your absence this morning was his fault and that you are pardoned from any punishment. Which is the only reason I'm pissed off." he muttered, searching his desk for something. Claire swallowed nervously.

"That usually hasn't stopped you before sir," she said. McCoy paused and shot her a look, causing her to flinch.

"Yes, and it won't stop me now. You are on graveyard shift," he muttered before pulling out a bottle of whiskey.

"Um… okay?" she said.

"Lucky for me, your intern was caught in a very compromising position with a patient," he said. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"Sir, no offense, but I fail to see how that is my fault," she said. He shot her another look, and she suddenly wished she was invisible.

"Because you were not here to watch him! If you were here on time you might have caught him, but you were obviously too busy with other activities to actually do your job," he snapped. She pressed her lips together and looked down in shame.

"I apologize, Doctor McCoy," she said softly. He took a swig whiskey and glared at her.

"Well, you better start your shift now!" he snapped. She nodded and walked out of his office. She hated when he drank the heavy liquor, his temper seemed to increase with the amount of alcohol he drank. When she entered main sickbay, she glared around the room until she found her target.

"Doctor Giles!" she shouted. Both Alex and Liam jumped, but Spike looked un-phased.

"Hey, Blondie… miss me?" he asked. She took a deep breath and glared up at him.

"What's this I hear about you getting all nice and cozy with a patient?" he smirked down at her.

"Why? You jealous?" he asked.

"Hardly, did you not attend the sexual harassment class they had in the academy?" she snapped. He looked thoughtful before a look of realization came to him.

"I knew I was forgetting something. Did you want to give me examples of what not to do. I suggest you model them for me," he said. She rolled her eyes.

"Keep it up and I'm going to inject you with a nasty little virus and watch you suffer," she told him. He chuckled.

"See, I would be afraid of that, if we actually had any more of those left. Doctor Big-shot hasn't ordered any in a few months. We don't get any more supplies until later today, which gives me enough time to successfully hide from you," he said. She pressed her lips together and shoved a chart in his arms.

"Take care of that patient, and don't feel her up!" she snapped.

"I make no promises," he said. Claire rolled her eyes and crossed the room to where Liam was working.

"Long night?" He asked with a knowing smile on her face. Claire nodded.

"Great night filled with amazing sex which was totally worth it. It still sucks though," she mumbled, going through her morning paperwork. Liam nodded.

"Tell me about it. I've got good news though," he told her, an excited look on his face. Claire felt her ears perk up at the hope of genuine good news. Hopefully it wasn't about his sex life either.

"And what's the good news?" She asked, unable to hide the curiosity in her voice. Liam smiled.

"We've got two hours off this afternoon to check out some men who are bringing supplies onto the ship. I figure it will only take about a half hour, so we've got some free time today!" He told her. Claire smiled, relieved. She really didn't want to know what ways Liam was getting Alex to bend it. Not again.

"Perfect, I need the down time," she grumbled to herself, seeing a few patients entering sickbay.

"And I need the sex!" Liam declared. Claire rolled her eyes as she caught sight of Alex's face going red on the other side of the room. Such a Liam comment.

* * *

Jim glanced around the shipping bay as he saw the ship begin to connect with his own. He was required to come down and make sure that everything was going smoothly. Sadly, the task was very boring.

"So, does everything look in order, Captain?" a crewman asked. Jim nodded and looked down at some paperwork.

"Yeah, looks fine… we're good to go. I actually have some business with Scotty to discuss, but everything looks to be fine," Jim said.

"Don't you want to inspect the cargo further, sir?" Jim looked up and a pained expression crossed his features.

"Well…" he trailed off.

"I can do it sir, I know you are very busy," another man said. Jim looked over and gave the man an appreciative smile.

"Thanks, that would be great, Ensign…" he trailed off.

"Ensign Sheppard, sir," he answered. Jim smiled.

"Thanks, good job guys!" Jim said before walking out.

* * *

"Claire, Alex is still working… what am I going to do?" Liam asked. Claire sighed and began examining her last patient.

"Don't you have a hobby or something? Like… maybe you can read or something," Claire said.

"That's boring. I say when you're done we go and check out the new guys coming in. Nothing wrong with appreciating some eye candy," he said.

"I have my own eye candy," she reminded him.

"It's not the same… please?" he asked. She sighed.

"Fine, when I'm done with this patient I'll go with you," she mumbled. Liam practically squealed with joy and waited as Claire finished up. Just as they prepared to leave, McCoy opened the door to his office and poked his head out.

"You two are going to need supplies while you go check in the people onboard the cargo ship, correct?" McCoy asked, the sarcasm quite evident in his voice. Claire stopped walking and closed her eyes. Maybe if she pretended he wasn't there, he'd go away.

"Of course, Dr. McCoy," Liam said in a pleasant tone, but didn't hide the look of disappointment on his face. Claire opened her eyes and turned around, not surprised when she saw McCoy still watching the two young doctors. Sometimes, she hated her job.

* * *

"That's the last of the boxes," the captain of the cargo ship said as they finished unloading the supplies onto the _Enterprise_. Claire sighed, relieved to see that they were finally done after fifty-five minutes of waiting.

"We're just going to need to check you guys out and make sure that none of you are carrying anything so the crew doesn't get infect," she instructed the two men who were finished moving the boxes and their captain.

"Yes of course. In the meantime, Ensign Sheppard can go scan the boxes," the captain said, gesturing to one of the boxes. Ensign Sheppard nodded and proceeded to scan the boxes. His eyes were cold and determined as he went to work. Claire began scanning the captain with her handheld scanner, just to be on the safe side. After a few minutes, both she and Liam were finished.

"You guys check out okay," she told them. Liam leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"That one guy in the corner checks out real nice on the eyes, doesn't he?" He asked. Claire felt her cheeks go red as she refused to make eye contact with the man in question. Before anyone else could say anything, Ryan walked into the room.

"Good afternoon, I'm Lt. Commander Conaway and I'm head of security here on the Enterprise," he said, introducing himself to the captain. After shaking hands, Ryan moved to shake the hands of the two movers as well.

"It's a please, Lt. Commander Conaway. We just checked out and finished delivering the boxes, so we'll just be heading out now," the captain said. The two movers returned back to their ship, but Ryan grabbed the captain's arm. He bore a friendly smile, but the captain still seemed uncomfortable.

"Oh course, we don't want to keep you busy. I would just like to double-check the boxes," Ryan told him, walking towards the boxes. Quickly, Ensign Sheppard intercepted him.

"Everything checks out, sir. No need to worry," he told him. Ryan nodded, but seemed skeptical.

"I trust you, Ensign, but I'd just like to check myself," he said, brushing the younger man off.

"I appreciate your dedication, Commander… but there really is no need. Your Ensign has been sure to check all of the cargo. You are really not needed," The captain said. Ryan looked a little put off, but eyed the cargo for a moment. Claire noticed the tension between the men and pulled Liam over with her to interject.

"Excuse me, Commander Conaway… but I was wondering if you could help Doctor Peterson and I with a few of our packages," Claire said, trying to get her brother to leave the room. She has seen Ensign Sheppard check everything out, so there was no reason for her brother to get overworked.

"Oh… um, of course, Doctor Conaway," he said. The cargo ship captain raised an eyebrow.

"Doctor Conaway? You two related?" he asked. In the corner of her eye, she saw Ensign Sheppard give the captain a look.

"Brother and sister," Ryan said. The captain nodded and looked down at Claire, his eyes were cold, and he looked as though he was calculating something.

"Nice to meet you Doctor," he said. She forced a smile on her face and nodded.

"Same to you, Sir… but we need to get going," she said. He nodded.

"Of course, well… hopefully we shall do business with each other real soon," he said.

* * *

"Okay, I'm going to join a cargo ship, did you see how hot those men were?" Liam asked. Claire rolled her eyes and placed a box on the medical station counter.

"You are such a pig," she muttered. Ryan placed a box next to hers and frowned. Claire raised an eyebrow and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You alright?" she asked. He looked at her and forced yet another smile on his lips.

"Fine… you're bed is very comfortable," he said. She chuckled and gave him a knowing look.

"Hey, hopefully the rest of the day will be smooth sailing and you can come and meet me in the afternoon and we can chill," Claire said.

"Yeah, except you have graveyard shift," Alex pointed out. Claire frowned and glared at him.

"You just ruin everything," she snapped. Ryan chuckled.

"It's alright, I'll keep myself busy. Thanks for the offer anyway," he said. Claire nodded and turned back to moving the boxes. She was still extremely pissed off at Colleen for the way she'd been treating her brother. After he'd put himself on the line and was honest with her, Colleen kicked him out and continued to keep her own secrets. Claire was pissed. No, she was beyond pissed.

"Stupid heavy boxes," she mumbled, dropping her box next on the ground next to the table holding the other smaller boxes. Unable to help herself, she gave it a slight kick. Of course, the fates obviously had it out for her.

"Dr. Conaway, did I just see you kick that box?" McCoy snapped, appearing in his office doorway. Claire cursed herself before shaking her head.

"No, of course not, Dr. McCoy," she said through gritted teeth. Ryan, Liam, and Alex watched Claire's display as McCoy nodded and returned to his office.

"Jeez, you have no luck with that man today!" Liam declared, taking a seat at one of the many tables in sickbay. Claire nodded and leaned back into the wall.

"And of course, I'm stuck with the graveyard shift tonight by myself…" she mumbled.

"You want me to get in trouble and hang with you?" Alex asked. Liam frowned, which Claire noticed.

"I'm fine. You and Liam should go and have fun. I think they just got a couple new bottles of wine. Go crazy," Claire said. Liam smiled widely at shot Claire a thank you look.

"So, I'm probably going to bring Rocky to work with me again. Is that alright?" Ryan asked. Claire opened a box of medical supplies and nodded.

"Yeah, the poor dog needs to get out of the room. I'm so busy sometimes I forget about the poor guy." Ryan chuckled.

"Alright, I'm going to go. See you later," he said. She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Love you," she told him. He ruffled her hair and left the room. Liam sighed and watched him leave.

"He's really broken up… isn't he?" he asked. Claire sighed and nodded.

"Fucking bitch…"

* * *

David Sheppard took a quick glance around the room, making sure all the cameras were off. When it was confirmed that they were, he walked over to the largest box- meant for engineering parts- and opened it.

"About bloody time you let us out!" a voice said. David rolled his yes and watched as a dozen people filed out of the box. He would be lying if he said he was surprised that a few of them were not human. A few were Romulan, a couple were Klingon, and one or two were from a species he couldn't name. The rest were rogue men who didn't believe in Starfleet anymore.

"So, who are we here to kill?" A Romulan asked. David knew this Romulan well. Nuhir Maelrok was the captain's right hand man. They had met not long after the captain had broken away from 'the system' as he called it, and Nuhir was escaping a Romulan trade ship after he had disobeyed his old captain. Nuhir was big, even compared to a Romulan. It was no doubt that he spent almost every waking moment working out. Though, knowing his reputation, he also spent a considerable amount of time in the bedroom with company as well.

"We're not killing anyone, we here to retrieve something," David said. Nuhir raised an eyebrow.

"I'm here to get something? This something better be able to take out a group of eleven men in one shot," he snapped. David sighed, realizing that Riley probably left the debriefing to him.

"No, but I hear she gives a mean right hook," David said. An evil smile came across Nuhir's lips upon hearing what he was getting.

"A woman? This should be fun…" Nuhir said. David paled, he had a feeling their definitions of fun were immensely different.

* * *

Claire sat at the medical station desk and picked up another chart. She had leaned back in her chair and rested her feet on the desk. Her legs were crossed, to make sure that if anyone walked into sickbay they wouldn't get a show. She had only began her shift and already she was sick of work, though the only time she wasn't sick of work was when she was in surgery. Everything else was just tedious.

"Claire…" Claire looked up and clenched her fists.

"Colleen… can I help you?" Claire asked. Colleen sighed and pressed her lips together, knowing that this was going to be very awkward.

"Yes, I need a check-up. Seeing as you're my doctor, I need you to give me one," Colleen said. Claire looked at the clock and then back at her.

"You had to wait until 2130 hours to come get it?" She asked.

"Ryan was hanging out around here…" There was a long pause before Claire slammed her charts down and stood up.

"Fine… you want a check-up, I'm inclined to give you a check-up. Damn Hippocratic Oath," she muttered. Colleen rolled her eyes.

"Don't sound so excited," she snapped. Claire said nothing as she pressed her lips together before she said something she'd regret. She crossed the room in search of the ultrasound monitor. A lot of things in the medical field had changed since the olden days on earth, but the ultrasound monitor was the only thing they'd were unable to change completely. Any other methods that they'd attempted to invent ended up hurting that baby, so until someone made a breakthrough in that area, they were stuck with the same old machine.

"Lift up your shirt," she mumbled. Before Colleen could follow Claire's instructions, the door to sickbay opened up. Claire sighed and turned towards the door, but couldn't make out the figure that now stood in sickbay. It was too dark out and the only light in the room was next to Colleen's patient bed.

"I'm currently unwillingly working with a patient, is it an emergency?" Claire asked in an exhausted tone. Colleen angrily folded her arms at Claire's comment.

"Oh yeah? Screw you," Colleen hissed. Claire said nothing as the figured stepped a few feet closer. She could barely make out the figure raising his arm when a phaser blast when off, shooting the light out. Claire instinctively dropped to the ground as the echo of glass shattering echoed through the room. Colleen let out a high pitched scream, her arms immediately going to protect her stomach. The unknown figure fired his phaser again, this time hitting Colleen as she tried to jump up from the bed and run. She recoiled from the shot and fell to the ground with a thud, causing Claire to flinch.

"Did you get her?" A familiar voice asked from sickbay's doorway. Claire recognized it immediately.

"Ensign Sheppard?" She asked in disbelief. The figure in the middle of the room appeared to glide through the darkness until he was a few feet away from Claire. She felt her heart begin to race as she realized that she was the only person on duty all night. No one was coming to save her.

"No, it appears as if I got her patient," the man standing before her said in a low voice. Claire froze, unable to do anything as another phaser blast was fired and she blacked out.

_

* * *

_

Onto the reviews.

_**amberhathaway  
**__**Raxsah: **__We iz good at writing drama… maybe because we're so used to it.  
__**Jeck: **__I EATS DRAMA FOR BREAKFAST! NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM!_

_**nickiR0x  
**__**Jeck: **__We originally liked Colleen, and then it was like "hmmm this isn't working". Raxsah thought what I originally wrote next was funny, but I couldn't write it because it was kind of spoiling what happens next.  
__**Raxsah: **__You ask, we deliver. We hope that was enough Kirk/Claire action for the time being. It might be a while till you get anymore. And Colleen is almost as annoying as Ryan can be. You'd think they'd go well together but we didn't like them together._

_**Yayyou  
**__**Raxsah: **__Bones' baby? Never thought about that. We'd figure it was easier to say it was Rupert's baby. Man, imagine the plot twist there would have been if McCoy and Colleen slept together. O.o  
__**Jeck: **__Bones cannot reproduce with Colleen. He might have caught the bitch in the form of an STD. Rupert is the baby daddy. Simple enough._

_**X-PANIC  
**__**Jeck: **__Well, we can't make any promises, but if you keep reading through all the good times and the bad, you'll be happy that you did.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, everything works out the way it should, and we make everything happen for a reason. Just stick through it all and we'll make you happy that you did._

_**Smiley  
**__**R**__**axsah: **__Again, we make no promises. We apologize for any soap opera-ness, but sometimes we can't help it. We watch a lot of drama filled TV. And yes, We did add Spike and Giles from BTVS, Or at least their names. We're glad you caught on.  
__**Jeck: **__We make a lot of references to TV, surprisingly or not. Oh, but you haven't seen Ryan take Rupert and Colleen to Jerry Springer yet. :3 _

_**cakeface  
**__**Jeck: **__Okay. We'll try. I like short and sweet. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__Hmmm, we're working on it, but college is a bitch. Damn us for wanting to better ourselves with education!_

_**Raxsah: **__OH NO! Cliffhanger, when is the last time we actually had one of those?  
__**Jeck: **__I don't know… I didn't even see to look what chunk of the story is in this chapter… or maybe I did last night, but shit happened and I forgot. Mostly sleep happened…  
__**Raxsah: **__That's more likely. We hope youz guyz enjoyed this really long chapter, it's our little going away present because Jeck is going off to college and we won't be able to update for some time. Once we get a schedule down we can focus on stuff like that.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, but you might not being hearing from us for at least a week… I've got like 14 hours a day of band camp this week. So yeah, won't be hearing much from us. But we've discussed some methods for efficient updating. We'll be back soon, not to worry!  
__**Raxsah: **__So until next time, REVIEW!  
__**Jeck: **__EAT YOUR DRAMA, OR NO DESSERT!  
__**Raxsah: **__Laterz!  
__**Jeck: **__THIS IS WAR!  
__**Raxsah: **__…  
__**Jeck: **__Penis.  
__**Raxsah: **__Cock.  
__**Jeck: **__Won't fit in your mouth.  
__**Raxsah: **__Psh, that's not what your mom said last night…. Wait.  
__**Jeck: **__I'm concerned how she gave birth to me with a cock…  
__**Raxsah: **__Shit happens.  
__**Jeck: **__In your mouth.  
__**Raxsah: **__If it's Chris Pine… then yes.  
__**Jeck: **__And the chances of Chris Pine actually being in your mouth (as if he could fit)…  
__**Raxsah: **__You know what… Don't we have to get ready to go eat pancakes?  
__**Jeck: **__I'll take that as a victory.  
__**Raxsah: **__Take how you will, I'd rather just have straight up sex then blow a guy.  
__**Jeck: **__Not that you could, anyway.  
__**Raxsah: **__Fuck you! I'm ending this shit. Bye people!_


	18. Sin with a Grin

_**Jeck: **__Welcome. You are all now involved in the experiment "Jeck and Raxsah post a chapter being on opposite sides of a state, nearly 5 hours away". :3  
__**Raxsah: **__Fucking Google. It has made this process extremely difficult and will probably blow up on me… But anyway, we have returned to post a chapter in the small free time we have. Which should be spent doing homework. XP  
__**Jeck: **__It's mocking me. It knows I haven't done anything and it's due tomorrow morning. But you guys are more important to me than Psych! So did you guys miss us?  
__**Raxsah: **__Yesh, I shall do my English homework during the two hour break I have. My teacher will just LOVE that. Blah. You should have missed us. We're freaking awesome. Right, so back to the story… What the hell happens in this chapter?  
__**Jeck: **__*shrugs* I didn't write this by myself! Besides, let's not ruin it for the fans. They have to read it to know what's going on!  
__**Raxsah: **__Right. Thanks to all who added this to their alerts and favorites thingy. And all that jazz. Sorry if out memo is a little short. The internet does not like us tonight.  
__**Jeck: **__Like I said, just bare with us while we figure out how to do this. We're used to just sitting next to each other and elbowing each other in the face to get to the laptop. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, then hearing Jeck complain because my laptop is too 'sensitive.' then it flips out because she hurt it's feelings. Lol.  
__**Jeck: **__That bitch needs to get over it! Anyway, we should probably start this now…  
__**Raxsah: **__Right, Enjoy!_

**

* * *

**

Chapter 18: Sin with a Grin

* * *

Jim gave a heavy sigh as he tried to go to sleep yet again. He had woken up a couple hours ago, and hadn't been able to go back to sleep. There was a strange feeling in his stomach, like something was wrong. Yet, when he looked at the ship records, nothing was out of place. He sighed and got out of bed, realizing he wasn't sleeping anytime soon.

He walked to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face and tried to make the horrible feeling in his stomach go away. Earlier in the evening, he debated on stopping by sickbay to be with Claire, but she had declined. She said she was already in so much trouble with McCoy, that him being there would just be worse. She did promise that she would make it up to him later.

"Captain Kirk?" A voice called. He ran a hand over his face and walked into his living room, where his computer sat.

"Here, what's wrong?" he asked.

"Sir, we have a situation in sickbay, you are requested to be present sir," the voice said. Jim pulled a shirt over his head and sighed.

"I'll be right there," he replied. He quickly put some pants on, and slipped into his shoes. He wasn't in his uniform, but he looked presentable for just being dragged out of bed. He made his way down to sickbay, a lot quicker than he expected, and was surprised to see a small group in the room.

"I can't believe this is happening," Liam said. Jim glanced around the group. Aside from all the medical staff, Ryan and Rupert also stood in sickbay. Ryan was deathly pale, and was pacing back and forth.

"What's going on?" Jim asked. Ryan stopped pacing and looked at him, his face fell.

"Something happened," he said. Jim raised an eyebrow and was about to ask what went on, but stopped when he saw McCoy and Chapel walked out of the surgery room. McCoy walked up to Ryan and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Doctor Giles did all he could to help her out, I over saw the procedure as best I could while making sure the baby was stable. Honestly, I will have to wait a bit before I can make sure everything went well. It would've been a lot better if… well… you know." Ryan nodded and ran a hand through his hair.

"Jesus, what the hell happened?" Jim asked.

"There was an incident in sickbay," Alex said. Jim raised an eyebrow and looked at McCoy.

"What happened?" he asked. McCoy sighed.

"I don't know. Doctor Conaway was on duty, and Doctor Giles came in to help her on her shift, as most interns should do. When he got here, he saw Ensign Stewart on the ground bleeding heavily and Doctor Conaway missing. There was also a Romulan phaser not far from Ensign Stewart," McCoy explained. Jim turned deathly pale and looked around.

"Where is she? Where is Claire?" he asked. When no one answered he turned to the computer. "Computer, locate Doctor Conaway," he said. There was a pause before the computer spoke.

"Doctor Conaway is not onboard," the cool voice said. Jim felt himself panicking as the robotic voice's words registered in his mind. Claire was gone. His girlfriend had been kidnapped. He was so conflicted with hurt, longing, and anger that he turned away from the group. He hadn't cried in years, but Jim couldn't fight a tear as it slipped down his face. His pain was unbearable, but his anger was slowly increasing. Those monsters.

"Jim?" McCoy asked in a soft voice, noticing his best friend's shaking shoulders. Jim couldn't control himself any longer and kicked over a cart containing medical equipment.

"WHO DID THIS?" He demanded, rounding on the room filled with worried and confused faces. Before anyone could reply, his communicator went off. Ryan's worried eyes followed Jim's moments as he answered the machine.

"Captain, we just received a message from the cargo ship that delivered our supplies yesterday. You and Lt. Commander Conaway need to come see this," Spock's voice said from over the communicator. Jim's eyes narrowed at the thought of being fooled by the men on the cargo ship.

"We'll be right there, Spock," he replied in a monotone voice, his attention turning to Ryan. He had been in charge of looking over the delivered goods the previous day. Jim said nothing as he turned to leave sickbay, saying nothing to Ryan. He expected the man to follow and wasn't surprised to hear Ryan's heavy footsteps behind him.

"Is the message about Claire?" Ryan asked in a hopeful voice. Jim didn't stop his hurried footsteps, but slowed a little for Ryan to catch up.

"Perhaps. What did you see in those crates yesterday, Conaway?" He snapped, his attention focused on the hallway before them. The lift was coming into view. Ryan swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

"I didn't check…" He said in a quiet voice. Jim stopped his fast paced walk.

"Excuse me?" He cried out, in pure shock and anger. He rounded on Ryan who looked up at the ceiling, realizing his mistake. Jim gapped at him, completely appalled at Ryan's answer.

"Ensign Sheppard checked and I didn't think I… the other captain said… I… I'm an idiot…" Without warning, Jim lunged forward and pinned Ryan up against the wall.

"Because of you, your sister has been kidnapped. Because of you, my girlfriend is being held against her will. Because of you, we are now at the mercy of whoever is holding Claire captive. Are you proud of yourself?" He yelled, practically nose to nose with Ryan. Whatever guilt Ryan had before that moment was gone, and anger now replaced it.

"It was your job too! You were in charge of meeting the damn captain, and you never got around to it! It's not just my fucking fault!" Ryan snapped pushing the man away from him. Jim simply pulled his fist back and threw it at him, hitting him square in the jaw. Ryan stumbled back but then threw his own fist, hitting the captain. Jim lunged forward and they began fighting. McCoy, who heard the commotion, ran over and pulled then men apart.

"Stop! What the hell are you doin'?" He snapped. Jim glared at the younger man and wiped a small trail of blood away from his face.

"It's his fucking fault," Jim snapped.

"I'm not the only one to blame! You didn't check either!" Ryan snapped. Jim went to lunge forward, but McCoy held him back.

"That's enough. You, go to the lift and head up to the bridge. Jim, hang back for a moment and collect yourself before you head up. Jesus Christ, neither of you can change what happen so just shut up and deal," McCoy snapped. Ryan paused before turning to lift and walking off, leaving Jim and McCoy in the hallway. There was a long pause before Jim turned around and punched the wall.

"Fuck!" he hissed. McCoy just watched as Jim tried to collect himself. "I can't believe this is happening," he muttered.

"Just calm down. Go see what Spock has, and please try not to get in anymore fights with your girlfriends brother." Jim sighed and nodded.

"Right, I'll let you know what's going on later," he said. McCoy nodded and patted him on the shoulder before heading back to sickbay. Jim entered the lift and tried to compose his face. He needed to be captain of the Enterprise right now, not Claire Conaway's boyfriend. When the doors opened, he saw Spock standing behind Chekov, who was typing something on his computer. Ryan wasn't far from them, but was keeping his distance.

"What do we have?" Jim asked. Spock turned toward him, and although his face showed no emotion, he could see the man was worried for him.

"It's a video message from the cargo ship. I think you should take a look at it," Spock said. Jim nodded and sat in his chair.

"On screen," he said softly.

"Good evening, Jim." Jim grasped the arms of his chair as Riley Kline's face appeared on screen. He looked content, but his face was wrinkled and his eyes looked tired. The permanent pain from losing his wife and child was apparent on his face. Ryan stood behind him, his fists clenched and his face turning red with anger. If they couldn't get Claire on board the ship to do surgery soon, he might know exactly how it feels. Jim's eyes never left the screen as Riley continued.

"By now you might have noticed the absence of Claire Conaway, one of the doctors on board the Enterprise. If not, you're a horrible boyfriend, Jim. Thanks to my inside man, I know all about the workings inside the Enterprise. Say hello to your fellow crewmembers, David." Riley took a sip of whatever drink was in his hands as the camera shifted a little to reveal Ensign Sheppard standing behind the camera. His face was emotionless as his dull hazel stared into the camera. He felt nothing.

"Hello."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU LYING PIECE OF SHIT!" Ryan cried out, rushing towards the screen. Spock grabbed the younger man's arm and held him back.

"This is not live, Lt. Commander Conaway. He can not hear you," he reminded him. Ryan stood his struggling, but his glare never left his face. The camera focused back on Riley who was giving them a smug grin.

"I'll cut to the chase. I have something that belongs to you and I want something simple in return. I want Captain James T. Kirk's dead body. A life for a life, Jim. My wife lost hers thanks to you and we lost a child. It seems only fair. If I don't have your corpse within two days, I'll take the life of the next best thing. If you try to fight back, you'll have her blood on your hands. Don't bother finding us, we'll find you." Jim didn't say or do anything as the screen shut off. He was frozen in fear. Fear of losing his own life, but more fear in possibly losing Claire's life. Spock let go of Ryan's arm as Ryan slowly crossed the room and stood in front of Jim, his back facing the captain.

"Ryan…" Jim started, but couldn't find the words to explain his feelings. It wasn't Ryan's fault. He'd been deceived by his own man and just lost his only family because of him. Jim had allowed Ensign Sheppard onto his ship.

"I have an idea," Ryan stated, still not turning around to face Jim.

"What is it?" Jim asked, not liking the emotionless tone of voice that Ryan was using. He'd never been close to the man and for the longest time, they weren't even friends. However, things had changed since their talk on the away mission. From what Jim knew, when Ryan got upset he either got mad or horribly depressed. Not showing any emotion was new and it frightened Jim slightly.

"We're going to give Riley your dead body," Ryan said bluntly. Jim rose from his seat.

"Excuse me?" He snapped. Ryan turned around, a determined look on his face.

"We're going to give Riley your corpse. However, you won't really be dead." Jim was prepared to jump the younger man, but stopped.

"How can you give him my corpse if I'm not dead?" Jim asked, his tone demanding. Ryan gave him a half-smile.

"We'll give you a neuromuscular-blocking drug," Ryan told him. Spock appeared next to Jim with an astonished look.

"That is a brilliant idea, Lt. Commander Conaway," Spock told him. Ryan nodded to Spock in appreciation as Jim gave him a confused look.

"A what now?"

"We wait…"

* * *

When Claire woke up, she felt like her limbs weighed ten tons each. There was a slight pain in her back, but she tried to ignore it as she shifted. The floor was freezing cold, and she was dimly aware that there was a chain attached to her ankle. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around.

She was definitely not on the Enterprise anymore, and seemed to be in a brig. The lights were dim, and it faintly smelled of blood and sweat. She could see the light from the door, but the rest of the room was barely lit. She groaned and sat up, ignoring the pain in her head.

"Oh… fuck…" she muttered.

"Sorry, I accidentally hit your head against the floor when I dropped you," a voice said. She froze when she realized she wasn't alone in the room anymore, and searched around for him.

"How nice of you," she mumbled. The voice chuckled evilly and stepped forward. Her body went stiff when she realized it was a very large Romulan man in front of her. He wore a large black trench coat, but nothing else, probably to show off his body. His black pants were tucked into his boots, and tattoo's covered his body.

"I also copped a feel when we were waiting to be transported. Nice ass by the way," he said. She shrunk against his gaze, realizing he was watching her intently. She backed up against the wall as he took another step forward.

"What do you want from me?" She asked in a shaky voice. He gave her an evil grin as he let his trench coat fall to the floor, revealing the tattoos all over his body as well as many scars.

"Well first I plan on taking you right here and then-" A voice cut the Romulan off.

"Nuhir, put your coat back on. I have business with the prisoner right now," he demanded. Nuhir furrowed his eyebrows, but snatched his trench coat off the ground without a word and left her cell. Once he was gone, another man stepped into the room.

"Claire Conaway, we meet again," he said. Claire looked up to see the face of the man whom she never expected to see again.

"Riley?" She asked softly. He nodded. He simply stepped forward and glared down at her.

"Long time no see. How's Jim?" he asked, his voice harsh. She flinched at his tone and took a step back.

"Riley… I'm so-" she didn't finish her sentence. The sound of his hand making contact with her cheek echoed through the cell and Claire held back the tears.

"Don't waste my time with your petty apologies. You are here for one reason and one reason only, to get Jim Kirk on this ship," he said.

"You think Jim is going to come here because you told him to? He's going to find a way to get on this ship and kill you," she snapped, anger building within her.

"You are so naïve. You really think Jim is going to come for you willingly? He's too preoccupied with his own damn ship to give a shit about you. I'm planning on your dear brother to bring him to me. That's the only thing bringing Kirk to me," he said. She glared at him.

"Riley, this is ridiculous. Honestly, is it worth all this?" she hissed. He rolled his eyes.

"You are so stupid. You wouldn't understand." She pressed her lips together. She had sympathy for the man before, but at this point, she was so tired, and living with Jim was rubbing off on her. She broke a little.

"You're stupid if you actually think Jim would be intimidated by some crazy ass lunatic like yourself." He lifted his hand again, but she smacked him before he got a chance. She paused when she realized what she had done and went to take a step back. He reached out and grasped her throat in his hand. She let out a squeal of surprise and grabbed onto his hand.

"You fucking bitch. I'm going to laugh when you realize that James T. Kirk only cares about his ship, and who he's going to fuck that night. I'm going to watch you break, and then laugh," he snapped. He shoved her against the wall and let go of her throat. She coughed a bit and glared at him.

"And if you ever try that shit on me one more time, I'm going to let Nuhir have his way with you. And he won't be as kind as I am," he hissed, his arm keeping her firmly pressed against the wall. Claire decided to try to push her luck once more.

"At least he has the balls to try it. Your balls aren't seeing any action while you're stuck mourning over your dead wife!" She snapped. Riley's eyes grew wide with shock. Half a second later, his shock was replaced with the most uncontrollable rage Claire had even seen in a man. She'd pushed her luck too far.

* * *

"Okay Spock, are you ready?" Ryan asked. Spock nodded as they both looked down at the unmoving body of James T. Kirk. His body was deathly pale, his eyes were seemingly frozen shut, and his body didn't move at all. He wasn't breathing. Spock reached down and placed a hand on the captain's shoulder.

"You'd better get on the shuttle. I'm sure the cargo ship will be here soon and you guys need to be ready to follow at any minute," Spock instructed him. Ryan nodded and took off running down to shuttle bay 2. As he arrived, he saw Alex, Rupert, and Anna waiting outside of shuttle that was going to follow the cargo ship when it arrived. They'd being working for the passed two days to strengthen the cloaking device onboard, so they'd remain undetected.

"Everyone ready?" Ryan asked. They all nodded.

"You sure this is going to work? What if Kirk wakes up before we can deliver him?" Alex asked.

"I have no clue. Right now we just need to make sure that we do our part," Ryan said. The small team nodded and filed into the shuttle, but Anna stayed back and looked at Ryan. They stood in silence for a moment.

"Ryan… I'm so sorry. About Colleen, about Claire… about everything," she said softly. His heart ached at her being so kind. God, how he loved those chocolate brown eyes.

"Thanks, but there is nothing I can really do about it. But thanks, Anna." She smiled and hugged him. His heart skipped a beat, and his nose seemed to jump in pleasure at the smell of her perfume.

"Everything will work out," she told him. He held her for a moment before pulling away and forcing a smile.

"We should um… get going," he said. She nodded and they entered the shuttle.

"Commander Spock to Commander Conaway, we have reached the drop off point," Spock said. Ryan sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Affirmative, ready when you are."

* * *

If Spock were human, he was quite certain he would be glaring at the screen in front of him. Instead, he looked forward and was quite emotionless as a Klingon came on screen.

"You have the Captain?" he asked. Spock simply gave a nod of his head.

"Yes… you have the doctor?" Spock asked. Again, if he were human, he would've winced. He did not see why the Captain would go through all of this to simply get the doctor back, but he didn't question human behavior.

"Captain first, then you can have your human whore," the Klingon snapped. Spock said nothing, simply nodded at Chekov to lower the shields. Ensign Chekov sighed before typing a few things into the computer, and watching as the Captain disappeared from sight. After a moment, Spock turned back to the screen.

"Where is our doctor?" he asked. The Klingon laughed.

"Captain Kline had decided that she is still being used. We shall drop her off at the nearest planet and send you the coordinates when we are done with her," he said. Spock raised an eyebrow.

"That was not part of the deal," he said. To the trained eye, anyone could tell that Spock was beginning to become agitated, but the Klingon just laughed.

"Plans change… Till next time… Vulcan." The screen went blank and Spock turned toward Uhura, who was watching him carefully.

"That was… rather unpleasant…" he said. Uhura raised an eyebrow.

"Unpleasant is an understatement. That sucked," she hissed. Spock simply raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.

"I believe that would be an acceptable term."

* * *

Pain erupted in her side as his fist collided with her ribs. Claire gave a small cough as she was forced to lean against Riley in order to remain standing.

"Shit," she hissed. Riley simply glared down at her and shoved her body to the ground.

"You're going to wish that you hadn't said that," he spat.

"Captain, we've reached the drop off point. Is the doctor ready?" A man said over a speaker. Claire looked up, but the ceiling was too dark to see. Riley continued his steady glare down at Claire.

"Change of plans, Tre'gok. Get the captain's body and inform the crew of the Enterprise that we'll drop the girl off at a planet near here when we're done with her. If they refuse, decloak our second ship and destroy the Enterprise. That's an order," Riley told the man, whom Claire assumed must have been Klingon. She tasted a some kind of metallic liquid in her mouth as Riley picked her up by her collar.

"Of course, Captain," the man replied. Riley paused as a thought appeared to have come to him.

"Oh, and Tre'gok? Please send Nuhir in. It appears as if he'll get to spend a little time with our prisoner after all," he added with a sickening grin. He's gaze never left Claire's terrified grey eyes.

"Right away, sir." Claire was overcome with fear as Riley gently stroked the side of her face, frightened by the sudden shift in behavior.

"You know, you remind me of my wife a little. In those last few moments I had with her," Riley told her as he study her features. Claire closed her eyes, trying to will herself to wake up from the horrible dream she must have been having. She must have given Colleen her ultrasound and fallen asleep. She wasn't on Riley's ship. She couldn't be.

"I'm glad you changed your mind, Captain. And I brought someone with me. I don't want to hog her to myself." Claire looked up to see Nuhir reenter the room with none other than Ensign David Sheppard standing behind him. Riley also turned to look and smiled.

"The more the merrier. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with the corpse of Captain Kirk." Riley dropped Claire to the ground and gave her a swift kick to the stomach before exiting the room. Nuhir stepped into Claire's cell and squatted so that he was eye level with her.

"I'm going to make you scream and beg for mercy. You'll wish you were dead after I've had my way with you. Hopefully I don't break you before young Sheppard has his turn," Nuhir told her, dropping his trench coat to the floor again. David watched from his spot at the front of his cell, his eyes filled with lust. Claire tried to crawl away, but Nuhir grabbed her throat.

"P-Please… d-don't…" She choked out, but Nuhir only chuckled.

"I can't tell you how many times I've heard that before…" She tried to scratch away his hand, but it seemed to be futile since he only laughed. He positioned himself on top of her, placing his weight on her lower half. She tried to move away, but between the weight of his body, and his hand on her throat, she was unable to move. After a moment he lowered his hand from his throat and traveled down her chest, stopping on her bests.

"Stop!" she hissed, trying to push him away. He grabbed her wrists with one hand and pinned them above her head.

"You won't be saying that in a few minutes," he hissed. He lowered his head and began to kiss her neck. Claire felt as though she were going to vomit, especially when his hand lowered and went to explore under her skirt. The moment he began to travel up, his teeth bit down on her neck, causing her to cry out in pain. His hard member pressed against her leg and tears began to escape her eyes.

_Why did this have to happen to me? _She asked herself.

_Because you fell in love with James Kirk, that's why_, a voice answered. Tears escaped her eyes at a rapid pace, and Nuhir moved away from her neck to lick them off her cheek. She whimpered at the movement. He chuckled and his hand was only inches away from her womanhood. She began to shake when he pulled her underwear off of her and she moved her head away from him.

"Look at me," he hissed. She ignored the Romulan, until he smacked her across the face. "You will do as I say, you understand me?" he hissed. She pressed her lips together, to stop herself from letting out a sob. David let out a low moan, and Claire could see him shifting uncomfortably from where he was standing. Her attention was brought back to Nuhir when he began unbuckling his belt to his pants.

"NO! Please!" she screamed. Her words did nothing, but cause him to smile.

"I love it when they scream," he whispered to her as his pants came lose and he slid them down. Suddenly, the ship jerked. Nuhir fell to the side, his pants around his knees and his member struggling against the cloth of his underwear. Claire leaned over to her side and proceeded to vomit, the vial touch of the Romulan man still lingering on her skin.

"Sheppard, go check it out," Nuhir instructed. Claire looked over to see Ensign Sheppard's hand inside his pants, his breathing frantic and his eyes half lidded.

"W-What?" He asked in a daze, realizing that Nuhir had addressed him. Nuhir grabbed his pants and pulled them back up around his waist.

"You useless human. Go check to see what that-" Before Nuhir could finish, the ship jerked again.

"What's going on?" David asked, fear evident in his voice. Nuhir glared at the younger man and yanked his hand out of his pants.

"Look presentable. We need to get to the bridge," he instructed, shoving David out of the cell. Claire looked up with tears rolling down her face as Nuhir turned around to face her. "Don't worry, we'll be back."

* * *

"Spock's last transmission said they successfully handed the captain over, but they refused to give up Claire," Anna informed them as they neared the cargo ship. Thankfully, they were still undetected. Ryan nodded.

"How much time until Kirk is awake?" He asked Liam. Liam turned around and checked his wristwatch.

"We still have another forty-seven minutes," he told Ryan. Ryan nodded.

"Okay, here's the game plan. First we're going to-"

"Ryan, I just detected another ship on the radar!" Alex exclaimed. Everyone in the room turned to look at him.

"What?" Ryan asked breathlessly. Alex nodded and pointed to the green blip on the radar screen.

"It's decloaking as we speak," he told him, turning his attention back to the monitor. Ryan paused and allowed himself to slip deep in thought. This complicated things a bit.

"Okay, this is bad. Our goal is no longer to take down the ship, just get Kirk and Claire out of there. Alex, I want you to take command of the ship. Liam, prepare your medical things. We don't know what condition anyone will be coming back out. Teleport Anna and I onto the ship when we get in range and remain cloaked. We're taking the defensive strategy now," Ryan commanded them. Liam nodded and began to pilot the shuttle closer to the ship. When he did, he stopped it and looked at Ryan.

"Ready when you are," he said. Anna and Ryan walked to the back of the shuttle and grabbed a few phasers.

"You all set?" Ryan asked. Anna smiled and nodded.

"Yup, this is why I joined Starfleet," she said. He chuckled and looked at Alex, who was reading something.

"The Enterprise will be coming in twelve minutes. So you guys better hurry," Alex said.

"No pressure or anything," Ryan said. Alex shrugged. "Alright… energize."

* * *

Riley stepped into the transporter room, and smiled down at Jim Kirk's lifeless body. Claire's brother didn't disappoint, that's for sure. He kneeled down and looked at the doctor, who was examining him.

"Well?" he asked.

"Dead sir…" he replied. Riley smiled and stood up.

"The great James Kirk… killed by his own crew, and for a doctor. Huh… seems ironic," he muttered.

"Sir, what are we going to do with the woman?" Tre'gok asked.

"Let Nuhir have his fun with her. Afterwards we'll see what mood I'm in. Get ready to dump his body into space. I'll be on the bridge," Riley said. Tre'gok nodded and waited for the captain to leave. When he did, he motioned for the men to drag him off the transporter pad.

"You think the captain will let me have some fun with her when Nuhir is done?" A man asked. Tre'gok shrugged and sighed as the captain rolled down the stairs and landed at his feet.

"No harm asking. Of course, there might not be anything left of the woman." Before anyone could reply, two figures appeared on the transporter pad, their phasers raised. Shots rang out through the room and before anyone could pull their own out, they fell to the ground.

"That was… easy," Anna said, walking down to Jim. Ryan nodded and looked around.

"Yeah… I guess they really didn't expect us," he muttered. Anna injected Jim with something, and a few seconds later his eyes shot open.

"Oh, damn… I feel like I've been sleeping for years," he mumbled.

"Welcome back from the dead," Anna said. Jim nodded in her direction as he held his head.

"So, what's the situation?"

"They had a second ship cloaked the whole time. Alex and Liam are staying hidden while we go get Claire. The mission is no longer destroying the ship and Riley, it's purely rescue," Ryan informed him, but Jim shook his head.

"No, we continue on with the mission as previously planned," Jim instructed him. Ryan's eyes grew wide at the order.

"Excuse me? Did you not just hear what I said? We're outmanned here, Jim. The Enterprise isn't even here yet!" Ryan shouted as the ship gave a sudden lurch. Anna rolled her eyes.

"Well, it's here now. Still, Ryan has a point," she defended, but Jim rose to his feet.

"I am your captain and you will do as I say. We may never get another chance to take Riley down. The Enterprise can hold off both ships. For now, our priority is Riley," Jim told them. Ryan shook his head.

"Then you go after him. Anna go with him just in case. I'm getting my sister," Ryan told him. Jim sighed.

"I don't have time to fight with you, Conaway. Ensign Lopez, come with me," Jim said, taking off through the door of the transporter room. Anna gave Ryan an apologizing look as she took off after the captain. Jim was too mad with revenge to even care about his sister, but she always came first to Ryan and he wasn't going to let anything happen to her on his watch.

* * *

Claire was alone in her cell was felt like hours, crying. She felt violated and scared, the thought that Nuhir might come back sending shivers down her spine. Dried blood was caked onto her clothes and her mouth was dry. She'd thrown up twice and dry heaved a few times, considering there was nothing left in her stomach. Her thoughts were a jumbled mess as Riley's words kept replaying in her head. The longer that she sat alone in the cell, the more she thought he was right. No one was coming to save her.

"Miss me?" Claire hopefully looked up from her fetal position in the corner, but cringed when she noticed that Ensign Sheppard had returned.

"No." She stated, her voice cracking after not being used for quite some time. David smiled down at her.

"Nuhir won't be able to join us for awhile, but I'm still here to play. Shall we continue where he left off?" Claire shuddered at his rhetorical question as he pulled his keys out and opened her cell door. He swaggered into the cell, slowly undoing his belt as he walked. Just before he reached Claire, his body fell limp to the floor. Claire jumped as his body landed a few feet away from her and looked up to see the familiar face of her brother.

"R-Ryan…" She stuttered as he dropped to his knees and pulled his sister in for a hug. He noticed the blood stains and the look of fear in her eyes as he cradled her close.

"It's okay, Claire. I'm here now," he whispered to her in a soothing voice. She clung onto his shirt as if it was the only thing anchoring her to reality. She began sobbing heavily and clung to him.

"He was… th-they almost, oh God," she cried. Ryan grabbed the key's Ensign Sheppard had and tried to find the ones to unlock her from the chain. When he finally freed her, he picked her up a bit. When he did, he noticed the pair of underwear not far from her. His heart sank and he pulled her closer.

"Jesus Christ, I'm so sorry Claire," he muttered. She just continued to cry into his chest and refused to let go. "Come on, let's go…" he said.

"Where's Jim?" she asked in a small voice. Ryan picked her up bridal style and frowned down at her.

"He went after Riley, the ship is in danger and he had to stop him," Ryan said. Her face fell even more.

"Oh," she said softly.

"Come on, we need you back on the ship," he told her.

* * *

Jim charged down the hallway, Anna on his heels, he was on a mission to find Riley, and he was going to do it. The man wanted blood, he was going to get blood. He stopped when a man jumped out in front of him, and he punched him hard in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. Anna pulled out her phaser and shot a Klingon charging for Jim. He gave her a nod and continued to charge forward.

"Sir, with all due respect. Aren't you concerned about Claire? She's probably really hurt," Anna asked. Honestly, there was probably a dozen men on the bridge, and she really didn't feel like fighting every single one of them.

"No, Riley is going to pay for what he has put me through. If it weren't for him we wouldn't be in this damn predicament." Anna frowned and followed him to the door of the bridge. "You ready?" Jim asked. Anna shook her head.

"No, but is there really a choice in the matter?" She asked. Jim shook his head.

"Not really, no…" Taking a deep breath, Jim kicked the door open, his phaser held firm in his outstretch hand. He fired away, not bothering to aim at any specific person. Klingons, Romulans, and a few humans occupied the bridge and jumped out of the way to dodge the phaser blasts. Anna kneeled next to Jim and aimed at the crew members trying to seek cover. Nuhir and Tre'gok shoved Riley to the floor and used their bodies to shield their leader, but none of Jim's shots made contact with his main focus. From his position on the floor, Riley pulled out his own phaser at aimed it at Jim's hand, knocking the weapon away.

"ARGH!" Jim cried out, clutching his hand in agony. Anna choose that moment to jump up and block Jim as he took a few seconds to compose himself. When he was ready, he darted out from behind Anna, just barely avoiding the phaser blasts from Riley's crew. Just as he reached where Riley was hiding, Tre'gok lunged forward at him with his Klingon dagger. Jim dropped to the floor and tripped the Klingon, who fell into Nuhir and dropped his knife. Both men fell to the ground as Riley rose to his feet.

"I thought you were dead!" Riley hissed through clenched teeth. Jim smiled as he grabbed Tre'gok's dagger off the ground.

"You're so easily fooled," Jim spat back, shoving Riley into his bridge chair. Riley just sneered up at Jim, no fear apparent in his eyes.

"There's nothing you can do to frighten me, Jim. Your girlfriend on the other hand, she was easy to break. And why aren't you saving her?" Riley asked as a rouge phaser blast flew by Jim's head, but he didn't flinch.

"Ryan is getting her. My business is here, killing you," Jim snapped, holding his dagger up to Riley's throat. Just before he could make the final move, Ryan appeared in the doorway next to Anna, Claire held securely in his hands.

"ALEX, BEAM US OUT!" Ryan demanded, shouting into his communicator. Jim's eyes went wide.

"NO!" He cried out, but it was too late. The familiar feeling of transportation overtook him as Riley faded out from in front of him. He'd missed his chance. He found himself back on the Enterprise, And was staring straight at Alex, who just looked at the dagger. After a moment Jim threw the dagger on the ground and stomped off the transporter pad.

"Damnit," he hissed. Liam and Alex just exchanged looks before Liam moved forward to Ryan, who moved toward him.

"How fast can you fix her up?" he asked. Liam looked her over and moved her head so she was looking at him.

"Claire, honey, can you hear me?" he asked. Jim looked over at the small group, his eyes landing on Claire before he dropped them to the ground. If he wasn't so damn angry at the whole situation, he would've ran over and grabbed her out of her brothers arms and held her close. Instead, he glared at the ground. He was so angry at her for being kidnapped, and even angrier at the fact that Ryan was so concerned with getting her on the ship that he had missed his chance to get Riley. He wanted nothing to do with any of them at the moment.

"Liam?" she asked. He nodded.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" he asked.

"Three," she answered. Liam nodded and scanned over her.

"How bad?" Anna asked. Liam sighed.

"Fractured ribs, some head trauma, and plenty of bruises." Ryan sighed and looked down at her. Alex walked over to the captain and looked at his hand.

"Did you want me to take a look at your hand?" he asked. Jim shook his head.

"I'm fine," he snapped. Alex nodded and walked over to Liam.

"Liam, do you think she is ready for surgery? Colleen's apparently in critical, she needs surgery immediately." Claire said nothing, but shifted out of Ryan's grasp and took a step forward, flinching slightly.

"I'm fine," she said, her voice shaking a bit. Liam and Alex exchanged looks.

"You sure? Claire, you've been through a lot," Ryan said. Claire nodded and walked past them, pausing a minute to look at Jim, who was now at the computer, looking like he was trying to find something. She took a deep breath and walked out of the room, limping slightly. Ryan grabbed Alex's arm and looked down at him.

"Do you know how to see if someone was raped or not?" He whispered. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, why?" he asked. Ryan just looked at the door, then back to Alex. Alex gave a sigh and ran a hand over his face. "Jesus…"

"I need to find out so I know which son of a bitch to fucking kill," Ryan hissed. Liam gave a frustrated sigh and walked up to Ryan, grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the room.

"We need to go. Colleen is crashing and needs surgery right now." Ryan nodded and followed Liam back to sickbay. He'd saved his sister, now it was time to save his future wife and child.

* * *

*Subliminal Message: Jeck is a poor college student. SEND HER MONEY! :3*

* * *

Four hours later, Jim walked into sickbay. He'd spent the previous four hours arguing with Spock to go back, but Spock denied the captain's request. The mission had been compromised by Jim's personal feelings. Finally, Jim stomped off the bridge and mindlessly walked through the halls until he ended up outside of sickbay. As he entered, he saw Rupert, Alex, Liam, and Anna trying to comfort Ryan.

"Any word?" Jim asked uninterested. He was still too angry to care about anything else, but Riley right now. Ryan's to-be-wife was just another casualty by Riley's hand. If they'd killed him when they had the chance, Colleen's suffering wouldn't have been in vain. How could Ryan not understand him?

"Claire and Dr. McCoy are still working on her. They've already lost the baby, but they're still trying to save her…" Ryan told him through his tears. Ryan could become dangerous, Jim thought to himself. Like Riley did after losing his wife and child. If it came down to it, Jim would kill him too. To protect everyone. To protect Claire.

"Tried to save her," McCoy stated as he stepped out of the surgery room. Claire stumbled out behind him, still hurting from her imprisonment on the cargo ship. Ryan couldn't hold back the sobs any longer as he realized the news. Colleen didn't make it. Their future together was gone.

"What happened?" he asked. When no one answered he stood up and walked up to Claire. "What happened?" Claire took a deep breath and continued looking down.

"The phaser hit a major artery in her heart. Doctor Giles tried to repair it but only temporarily patched it up. The baby was already hurt from a pervious fall, so when she fell to the ground the baby was beyond repair." She stopped and looked at Rupert, who looked as if he were to fall apart.

"But… she was stable," Ryan said. Claire pressed her lips together.

"She… she was stable, until the patch up job failed. I wasn't able to get to her in time to save her heart. I'm sorry." She looked down and there was a long paused before Ryan took a deep breath.

"Oh my God… she's really gone," he whispered. Claire would've ran a hand through her hair, but it hurt to lift her arm.

"I'm sorry," She said.

"Why didn't you try harder? You are supposed to be able to fix her!" he snapped.

"I did do everything I could," Claire said quietly. It was the truth. With her injuries, she could only have done so much. If it wasn't for Doctor McCoy being there, she would've passed out.

"Obviously not! Jesus, Colleen is gone, and my baby too! Why is this happening?" He asked. Claire looked up and her grey eyes turned cold.

"She was a fucking whore!" she snapped. The room turned deathly silent, and even Jim reacted. He took a step forward, ready to pull her away, but Liam stopped him.

"What?" Ryan asked. Claire stood up a little straighter, and ignored the pain in her ribs.

"She cheated on you! She slept with Rupert while she was seeing you, then got herself knocked up by the same guy and tried to pass it off as yours." Ryan's eyes turned just as cold at Claire's as he clenched his fists.

"You're lying!"

"Bull shit I am! She was a white trailer trash whore! She knew that you wanted a family and loved her and took advantage of you. You were going to marry a fucking slut!" Before anyone could reply, a loud smack echoed through the room, and Claire's cheek felt as if it was just hit with fire. A pain erupted on her lip and she felt the metallic copper taste enter her mouth and drip down her chin a bit. The room was silence as Claire realized what had happened and looked back at her brother. In the twenty-three years she had known her brother, had lived with him, he had never laid a hand on her. Of course he had gotten mad at her and yelled at her. But this was the first time ever that he had back-handed her.

"Ryan?" Anna asked, her eyes wide. Ryan said nothing as he looked at Claire, a red mark forming on her cheek. McCoy was the next to speak.

"Get out of my Sickbay. Now!" he hissed, moving Claire so she was behind him. Ryan didn't need to be told twice, he turned on his heels and left. Rupert paused before following right behind him.

"Ryan, wait mate!" Ryan paused before turning around and glaring at him.

"Is it true?" he snapped. When Rupert said nothing, he decked him across the jaw, causing him to fall into the wall. "You son of a bitch!" Ryan hissed. Rupert said nothing and expected him to hit him again, but was surprised when he just turned around and walked to the lift.

* * *

Claire sat down on the medical bed as Alex scanned over her. It was if her mind was on pause, and she could only comprehend the past couple days. Even then she didn't want to. Jim was a couple of beds over getting his hand looked at, and he looked pissed as hell. He didn't even look at her as she was escorted to a medical bed. When he was finished, he still didn't look at her. He simply got up and walking into McCoy's office. She felt a pang in her chest and looked down, watching as Alex finished up his exam and injected her with something that would make her injuries heal faster.

"Claire…" he said softly. She looked up and the warmth in his light brown eyes almost made her feel better. Almost.

"Yeah?" she said softly. Alex pressed his lips together and took a deep breath.

"When you were on the ship… were you…" He trailed off and looked her in the eyes. After a minute she shook her head.

"No…" she replied. He nodded and watched as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Do you… want to talk about it?" he asked, a little awkward.

"No." he nodded and they stood in silence for a bit.

"Well… uh, you'll have to stay overnight for monitoring. Can I get you anything?" he asked. She paused before looking down then looking up.

"Why me?" she asked. Her voice seemed defeated, almost broken. He took a hold of her hand and frowned.

"I don't know, Claire. I'm so sorry." Claire couldn't control herself, his comforting words reminding her of all the times that Ryan had been the one comforting her. She threw herself into his arms and let the tears continue to fall. She felt like she'd lost her brother and her boyfriend, the two most important people in her life. She'd lost her patient today as well, even if it had been Ryan's whore fiancée. Everything was starting to crash down on her as reality set in.

"A-Alex?" Claire stammered out through her labored breathing. Alex ran a comforting hand through her hair as she snuggled closer to him.

"Yes?" Claire looked up at him with wide tear streaked eyes.

"Thank you."

* * *

"This is her fault! No, this is your fault! If you hadn't assigned her graveyard shift, she would have never been kidnapped. Colleen would still be here and none of this shit would have happened!" Jim snapped at McCoy who sat at his desk and watched Jim's outburst with a calm composure.

"Jim…"

"It's Ryan's fault! If he had just checked the damn cargo this would never have happened." McCoy sighed and ran a hand through his slicked back hair.

"Jim… you need to breathe. Even if she wasn't on graveyard shift, they would've found her. They came aboard to take her, there wasn't much stopping them. Ryan was deceived by his own man, how was he supposed to know he was working with Riley. Everyone made faults, but there is nothing we can do about it except move on." Jim sighed and sat in a seat across from McCoy.

"I was so close. I could've had him. But he slipped through my fingers. If we had just stayed for five more minutes, he would've been dead," Jim muttered. McCoy sighed and pressed his lips together.

"Well, I'm sure he'll be back. You can kill him then." A silence filled the office and Jim just stared at the desk. His gaze lifted and he met the older mans eyes.

"She'll be okay… right?" he asked. McCoy looked down. Normally, he wasn't supposed to divulge that sort of information to anyone but family. Yet, in light of recent events, Jim was probably the only person he could tell.

"I don't know. Physically she's drained. She's suffered from a lot of abuse. You saw the way she was brought in. She insisted on doing the surgery, and nothing I said changed her mind. So I made her clean up before the surgery, but she lost a lot of blood. They really beat her up pretty bad. Not to mention the type of mental trauma she's going to have to deal with," McCoy said. Jim's eyebrows furrowed.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"She's been beaten pretty bad. That can effect a person in a horrible way. Not to mention Chambers thinks there might have been… sexual abuse as well. That's not an easy thing for the mind to handle. She's going to be very fragile." Jim placed his face in his hands.

"Jesus…" all this was his fault. How was he even supposed to look at her after this?

* * *

"Ryan?" Anna felt like she'd been around the Enterprise at least five times looking for the man. Her first stop was his room, but it was empty. She checked the security department, but there was still no sign of him. Rupert had shut himself up in his room, his guilt eating away at him. Alex was in sickbay tending to Claire's wounds while Liam took care of Rocky for her. Last she'd heard, Jim was having a mental breakdown in McCoy's office. But there was no sign of Ryan.

"You looking for the Conaway boy?" Anna looked up to see Scotty walking out of the engineering deck. She nodded and Scotty gestured over his shoulder.

"He's in there?" Scotty nodded and walked away, allowing Anna to approached the engineering deck. She'd only been in here once before, but it still felt as if she was walking into a new area. Just as she entered through the doorway, she saw Ryan collapsed on the floor next to one of the engineering stations. It was Colleen's.

"Ryan!" She called his name and crossed the room to him, but he didn't move. He didn't even acknowledge Anna's presence. She kneeled next to his curled up form and placed a hand on his shoulder. Suddenly, Ryan's head snapped up.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" His eyes were red and his voice was hoarse. His head stood up in all directions as he shot her a deranged looked. Anna jumped back, startled by his outburst and his disheveled looks. She leaned forward and tried again.

"Ryan, it's just me. It's Anna," she tried, but he shrunk away from her outstretched hand. Finally, Anna had had enough. She grabbed Ryan's collar and forced him to look at her.

"You're hurting, I get it, but you need to calm down. I'm only trying to help you," she snapped at him. He flinched, but didn't try to fight her grasp.

"She's dead. They're both dead. And Claire… you all lied to me!" He snapped back. Anna nodded.

"It wasn't our place to tell you. We tried to convince Colleen to be honest with you, but she couldn't do it. And Rupert… he was too scared of losing you to tell you himself. He confided in Claire their secret, but she was trying to protect you." Ryan's eyes grew wide.

"Protect me? I almost married her. She wasn't even carrying my child! How is that protecting me?" He shouted, trying to pull arms hands away, but she refused to loosen her grip.

"Because you were happy! We all make mistakes, Ryan. And holding this against anyone other than you and Colleen is ridiculous. This morning your main focus was saving your sister and now you're ready to toss her away? You need to be a man and deal with this yourself. Find out truth, but don't let it hold you back from living your life!" She told him, shaking him lightly as she scolded him on his behavior. She'd heard about his little episodes before and she wasn't about to fall for his shit. Ryan let his head fall forward as tears raked his body.

"I can't do it… not without her." Anna stood up and dragged him with her, after much difficulty.

"Alright, I've had enough of this bull shit. _Detenga su queja_! Honestly Ryan, you made it twenty-four years without her. Believe me when I say you are much better without her. You are a man, act like one!" she hissed. Ryan blinked a few times before running a hand through his hair.

"Thanks… I need to go to the gym." Anna raised an eyebrow as he walked away.

"I will never understand that man."

* * *

*Subliminal Message: Send some of that money Raxsah's way. She has College books to buy and a music adiction to feed. :P*

* * *

Leonard McCoy walked around his sickbay, making sure everything was in order. Liam and Alex had left, which meant he was left to do things by himself, not that he minded. He had just finished looking over a couple of long term patients before he heard a strange noise. It sounded as if someone was crying. He moved to a couple beds over where he saw Claire sleeping, though it was fitful and looked as if she were fighting someone in her sleep. He walked over and went to hesitantly reach out, only to have her scream in agony.

"Conaway, CONAWAY!" Claire shot up and opened her eyes, tears streaming down her face. McCoy reached out and took hold of her arms to keep her still.

"He… they… it was…" more tears fell down her face. McCoy gave a heavy sigh before letting her fall into his chest. She was so distraught, she probably didn't even realize she was crying in his chest. Claire just continued to sob as the weight of the previous events continued to fall upon her shoulders. She didn't care who was comforting her, as long as they were there. A few long minutes passed before she pulled away and took a few heavy breaths.

"Conaway… you okay?" he asked. She shook her head and continued to try and collect herself. She had just cried her eyes out into her bosses chest.

"I keep having nightmares… I'll live though," she said softly. McCoy looked into her pale grey eyes. He felt bad for her. She had been through so much and all for the simple reason that she was with Jim. She didn't even have Jim to comfort her, he was too deep in his own guilt and anger that he couldn't bring himself to even look at her.

"Claire, I'm going to give you something to help you sleep… okay?" he asked. She looked a little surprised but nodded.

"Okay…" He picked up a hypo spray and put the sleeping aid in it.

"You will only be able to get this from me, and I'm only going to give you the medicine for a few weeks. I don't want you to be dependant on it," he said, sticking her with the hypo spray. She nodded and closed her eyes, letting the drug take over.

"Thank you," she whispered. McCoy gave a heavy sigh and watched as she fell into a dreamless sleep. He hoped she got through this. She was a brilliant doctor and an all around determined young woman. It would be a shame if this left her to nothing. He gave a sigh and lifted the small blanket so it was covering her. Such a shame indeed.

* * *

Claire stared down at her tray at dinner, but couldn't find herself to eat any food. The past ten days had been hell. Ryan had leaned on Anna for support, and after a few hours hitting a punching bag, he was somewhat sane. He was still hurting, but he was getting much better at hiding it. She hadn't even seen Jim since sickbay, though she heard he was swamped with paperwork.

"Claire… what are you doing tonight?" Liam asked. Claire put her fork down and took a sip of her water.

"Um… I was thinking about talking to Jim… but other than that, nothing." Liam nodded.

"Well, since we'll be docking at a space station, we were wondering if you wanted to come out with Alex and I. You know, to a club. It'll get your mind off things." Claire shrugged.

"Maybe…" Liam sighed and looked at Alex, who was watching her carefully. Though he would never admit it to Liam, he was really hurt to see Claire like this. Even when she was dead tired or upset there was still a small fire behind her eyes. Now, there was barely anything there. They didn't look dead yet, but he had no doubt that it was only a matter of time before that happened.

"I'm not hungry," Claire said, handing over her pudding to Alex out of habit. Alex just raised an eyebrow as she stood up and left, then went for the pudding. Liam knocked it out of his hands before he could open it and watched Claire's retreating form.

"You're still allergic, genius," Liam mumbled. Alex sighed.

"No other dessert will ever replace it…" Liam turned to his boyfriend.

"Really? You're really going to mourn pudding right now? Have you completely forgotten about Claire already?" Alex shrugged.

"We can't force her to do anything. It's only been a couple of days, but these are some wounds that'll take some time to heal. In the meantime, we keep offering to take her out clubbing or spend the night hanging out with her. It's what friends do," Alex told him, shooting a glance at the ice cream cup on Liam's plate.

"You know, I don't think people give you enough credit sometimes, you're brilliant!" Liam declared as Alex snaked an arm around his boyfriend's waist.

"Can the brilliant boyfriend get your ice cream?" He asked with a hopeful smile. Liam just shook his head.

"No, so eat your jello."

* * *

Claire approached Jim's door, trying to find the right words in her mind, but it was too much of a jumbled mess to really plan anything. She figured she'd just jump into the moment and say whatever the moment calls for. But she was determined to ask one very important question.

"Jim?" She asked, hesitantly knocking against the door. Her knuckles barely rapped on the door before it swung open and Jim stood before her. He seemed to almost flinch upon seeing her. She was a wreck. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a sloppy bun, and strands of hair were loose from her hair tie and fell into her face. Her grey eyes seemed dull and tired, and she was paler than she normally was.

"Claire…" he said. A part of him was so happy to see her. A larger part of him, was annoyed. Annoyed at himself, at her, at everything.

"I was… um…" she looked down and took a deep breath.

"Did you… uh. Did you need something?" he asked softly. She was a bit taken aback by his question, it was as if he was asking a neighbor or an acquaintance.

"I was, well… I-I was wondering if y-you wanted to go out tonight. For a drink…" Jim took a deep breath and pressed his lips together, as if he wanted to say something, but knew he couldn't. Eventually he let out a small cough.

"I… I actually have a lot of paperwork to do. That Riley thing is really setting me back. Between the individual reports, and the medical stuff, and all that." She nodded and looked down. It was probably for the best. If he had wanted to end the night back at his room, she wasn't sure she could've gone through with it. Not after Nuhir and Riley's words.

"I understand, maybe another time." Jim nodded and they stared at each other for a moment. His heart ached as he saw her struggling. She was hurting, and he couldn't do anything about it. What was worse, a part of him didn't want to do anything about it. He took a chance and leaned down to press his lips onto hers. He didn't count on her moving her head, and his lips landing on her cheek. He pulled away quickly and frowned.

"I-I'm sorry," she said softly. Before he had a chance to reply, she practically ran down the hallway, leaving him alone in the doorway.

* * *

Not twenty minutes later, Claire walked into sickbay to see Liam and Alex lounging around. There hadn't been much activity after the incident with Riley and his crew, most likely because the news of Colleen's death had spread quickly. The sickbay was now being called the death-bay. Those who didn't even know Colleen were still afraid to be near the place she died.

"Afternoon," Alex said as Claire took a seat next to "her" gay couple. Before everything went down with Riley, Claire had dubbed them hers. Claire nodded in acknowledgement as she looked up at the ceiling.

"You mentioned something about clubbing tonight?" She asked in an unsure voice. Liam's ears perked up.

"Change your mind?" He asked excitedly, but noticed the tears that were flowing down her face. Part of Claire wanted to try to fight them, but she was too exhausted. She was mentally, emotionally, and physically drained and it felt like no amount of time would ever fix it. Liam leaned forward and placed an arm around her shoulders.

"Who do I need to get Alex to rough up for you, babe?"

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't sleep without the help of drugs, I can't focus on my work, and I just can't seem to find any common ground with Jim. Don't even get me started on Ryan," Claire said. Liam just hugged her closer while Alex frowned down at her.

"You and Jim just need some time. You've been through a lot and just need some time. Things will work out," Liam said. Claire nodded and sighed.

"I hope so…"

* * *

"Jim, you've been stuck in either your room or office for two days, you need to get out of here," Uhura said. Spock stood next to her and gave a small nod.

"I too agree. It is essential for Humans to leave their place every now and then to get their mind off work." Jim ran a hand over his face and looked down at the mountain of paper work he had finished. He barely had any left to do.

"I don't know. As of recently, work has been the only thing that has made sense." Uhura frowned and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, Jim… just a couple of drinks, that's all." Jim gave a long sigh and put down his work. Maybe after talking with them, he could find out why he was in such a bad mood.

"Alright, just a couple…"

* * *

"Claire, you look hot babe, I told you I'd be able to make those bags under your eyes disappear," Liam said. Claire sighed and looked down. Liam had dressed her in a pair of very dark and tight jeans, with heals and a black halter tank-top.

"I'm not feeling so hot," she muttered. Alex placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled.

"After a drink or two, you'll be fine," he assured her. Claire nodded and looked at herself in the mirror again.

"I'm already dressed up, so a few drinks couldn't hurt…"

* * *

"Welcome to the Wild Things Nightclub!" Liam said as they stepped into the building. He immediately pulled Claire onto the dance floor, leaving Alex by himself.

"I need a drink…" He mumbled to himself.

"Tell me about it. Blimey, we haven't done this it quite a bit." Alex turned around to see Spike standing behind him.

"I'm going to retreat to the bar. You can retreat to any dirty corner in this place you like," Alex snapped and headed for the bar. Spike paused a second before following after.

"Ay, that ain't nice!" Alex ignored him as he pulled up a seat at the bar. The bartender shot him a glance.

"Your strongest stuff, please." The bartender nodded and walked away as Spike pulled up a seat next to Alex.

"So is Blondie available?" Alex turned and gave Spike an appalled look.

"Are you serious? You're in sickbay just as much as anyone else, so you should know what's going on," Alex snapped again. Spike shrugged.

"Well I figured since she came in with you and your lover and her man came in with the Vulcan and his squeeze, perhaps she was available," Spike inquired as he gestured to the other side of the bar. Sure enough, Spock and Uhura were talking to none other than James T. Kirk at the bar. Alex raised an eyebrow and looked back at Spike.

"When did they come in here?" He asked. Spike shrugged.

"Dunnno, ten minutes before you guys," Alex sighed and shook his head.

"Jerk…" Before Spike could reply, Claire was at the bar and was ordering a drink.

"Liam is going to come and make you dance with him, just so you know." Alex rolled his eyes before he felt Liam tug on his shirt.

"Come my lover, we shall make love on the dance floor." Alex chuckled and let Liam drag him off, leaving Claire alone with Spike.

"Just you and me now Blondie," he said. She rolled her eyes and sat in Alex's seat, taking a large sip of her drink. Spike took out a pack of cigarettes and offered her one.

"I don't smoke," she said. He shrugged and lit one up.

"So, why are you here with your gay boyfriends and not with your lover?" he asked. She sighed and decided to humor him.

"I needed to distract myself, and he is working tonight," she answered. He raised an eyebrow and took a long drag of his cigarette.

"Really? That looks like him talking over there," Spike said. Claire's eyebrows furrowed and looked to where he was pointing, only to have her heart sink when she saw it really was Jim. She turned to her drink and let her fingers trace over the edge of the glass. "I want his job if he get's to party at bars all night," Spike said.

"No need to tease me. He obviously isn't working, and he obviously lied to me. Are you happy now?" she asked, taking a long gulp of her drink. Spike smirked.

"I won't be happy until you say yes to coming back to my place tonight," he told her. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Not happening."

* * *

"I'm glad to see that you changed your mind, love," Spike said as Claire giggled. He had his arm wrapped around her waist which was there more to stop her from tumbling to the ground.

"I'm a sucker for British accents. I would've sucked on Rupert just to get him to call out my name with that sexy accent!" She declared. Spike chuckled at her drunken behavior.

"Let's not talk about you sucking my cousin and more about you sucking me." Spike pushed Claire up against the wall of a nearby closed shop, his hot mouth moving against her lips. All Claire could smell was the scent of whiskey on his breath as his hands traveled up her shirt, before she pulled away and leaned to the side. All the contents of her stomach washed over the sidewalk as the alcohol flushed her system. Every time she saw Jim's face, she'd taken a shot. Since she could barely take her eyes off him, her anger growing with every second she was at the bar, she was pretty shit-faced.

"Sorry," she mumbled, wiping her mouth on her sleeve, which happened to be Spike's jacket. Spike nodded.

"It's fine as long as you still come back to my place. And brush your teeth. I may be British, but I have standards." She shook her head.

"No… I think I'm going to throw up again," she muttered. She heaved a second time and Spike pulled out a pack of gum.

"Here you go, love," he said. She took the gum and he helped her down the hallway.

"Where we going?" she said, her fingers playing with his hair.

"My place, to have some fun." She suddenly pressed him against the wall and pressed her lips against his.

"Let's have fun here," she whispered. He replied by kissing her, liking the mint fresh taste of gum rather than vomit.

"Oh, Claire…" he whispered. Claire paused and took a step back before throwing up once more, this time, all over Spike's shoes. After a minute she took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"I think I'm going to go to my room, alone," she said. He nodded.

"Yeah… I'll walk you, then go clean up your mess," he said. She nodded and leaned against him.

"Are we still friends?" she asked, pouting slightly.

"Sure…" She smiled and let him lead her to her room. When they reached the room, she leaned against the door.

"Thank you, Spike… ha… Spike." She began giggling and Spike just rolled his eyes.

"Right, well… goodnight Claire," he muttered. She leaned forward and kissed his lips lightly before puling back.

"Night Spike…" she muttered. She entered her room and closed the door. Spike simply rolled his eyes and turned to go down the hall, only to stop when he noticed the Captain's figure standing at the end.

"Suddenly, the other lift looks so much more inviting," he muttered, turning around and heading down the hall. Spike hurried to the other end of the hall, but it was all in vain. Jim grabbed Spike around the collar and shoved him up against the wall.

"You were macking on my girlfriend!" He snapped at the young man. Spike gulped.

"I was just helping the lady home, Captain. You weren't there, so someone obviously had to," Spike told him, trying to play the situation off. Jim slammed him back into the wall again.

"The hell you were! You've been trying to get with my girlfriend since day one! YOU SLIMY LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT!" Without warning, Jim pulled his fist back and punched Spike square in the nose. A sickening crack echoed through the hallway as the lift doors opened to reveal Liam and Alex holding hands.

"Jim?" Liam said surprised as he began to soak in the scene. Jim was holding Spike by the collar with one hand and the other was still held in the air, a bit of blood tainting his creamy white knuckles. Alex stepped forward and tried to pulled Spike out of Jim's grasp, but Jim shoved him aside.

"This doesn't concern either of you. I suggest you go to bed," Jim told them. Alex had had a few drinks, but was sober enough to realize that Jim was drunk and running purely on jealousy.

"Put him down," Alex replied, still trying to pull Spike away. Spike watched with wide eyes.

"Listen to the sexy doctor," Spike encouraged. Liam shot him a glare.

"He's my sexy doctor!" He snapped. If possible, Jim's anger increased.

"So is that what you do? You just go around stealing people's boyfriends and girlfriends? You deserve this!" He snapped as Spike spat a mouthful of blood at the captain.

"Fuck off! If you were paying more attention to your girlfriend then your work this wouldn't have happened. You bloody bastard," he snapped. Jim went to punch him again, but Alex pulled him away.

"Get the hell of me!" Jim shouted.

"Sir, this is not the time nor the place," Alex said. Jim glared at the bloodied man and clenched his fists.

"Stay the fuck away from Claire! She doesn't want you!" he snapped.

"Obviously, she doesn't want you either, or she wouldn't have been all over me." Jim went to lunge forward but Alex held him back. Liam walked over and shoved Spike away.

"Get the hell out of here!" he snapped. Spike glared at Jim before charging down the hallway, and Jim broke free of Alex. Both Liam and Alex took a few steps back and watched the Captain.

"Why would she do this to me?" he hissed. Alex and Liam both looked at each other. Even they knew that Claire wasn't in her right mind of recently, add that onto the fact that she was hurt by Jim pushing her away, she would have done anything to hurt the captain.

"I don't know…" Jim sighed and turned to walk away. Alex and Liam just shook their heads.

"People on this ship are fucking crazy," Liam said. Alex draped and arm around his boyfriends shoulders and nodded.

"That's an understatement,"

* * *

Claire glanced over from her breakfast table at Ryan and Anna, who were eating breakfast together. Ryan laughed lightly, but it was a bit forced. He was moving in the right direction at least. Claire, on the other hand, had her head pressed against the table with a very large coffee cup next to her.

"Rough night?" Liam asked. Claire's gaze never left her brother table and she groaned in reply.

"You know Jim is looking for you…" Alex said.

"Ugh… why?" she asked.

"He saw you making-out with Spike," Liam told her. She turned her head and looked up at her two best friends.

"What? I thought that was a dream," she muttered. Alex shrugged.

"We saw you leave the bar with him and we saw your boyfriend beating the shit out of him," Alex told her. Liam elbowed him, as if to say 'why did you tell her that'. Alex shrugged, but Claire's eyes seem to bulge out of her head.

"What?" She cried out. Ryan and Anna looked up from their table to see Claire's shocked expression. Ryan tensed up and made a move to stand up, but Anna held him down.

"Ryan, no. It's still too soon for both of you," she whispered to him. He nodded and turned back to his breakfast. Claire, meanwhile, was ready to strangle someone. Alex nodded.

"I'd say that Spike's nose is probably broken and Jim's fist is probably aching, but it could have been worse if we hadn't showed up when we did last night," he explained to her. Claire closed her eyes and allowed her face to fall in her hands.

"This is ridiculous," she mumbled. Liam sighed.

"We were going to wait to tell you once you were a little less hung-over, but my boyfriend is a loud mouth," Liam stated. Alex folded his arms.

"You weren't complaining about my loud mouth last night," he mumbled. Liam's face went bright red as Claire rose from the table.

"Alex, you're starting to sound like your boyfriend," she said in a forced playful tone of voice. She didn't want them worrying about her anymore than they were already.

"I can't help it. With all those comments he makes, it's hard to not start repeating them," he said in his defense. Claire nodded and turned to walk away, but Liam stopped her.

"And where do you think you're going?" He asked, continuing with the playfulness their conversation had. Claire forced a smile.

"I think I'm going to go lay down for a bit," she lied. Liam accepted her answer, but Alex gave her a skeptical look. He knew exactly where she was going.

* * *

"JIM!" He sighed and turned toward his girlfriend.

"Yeah?" He really didn't want to deal with her right now. She sighed and pressed her lips together. They were in the middle of a hallway, and she didn't want to make a scene.

"I um… how was work last night?" she asked. Jim paled.

"I went for a few drinks with Uhura and Spock instead," he said. At least he was honest.

"You couldn't have had a few drinks with me?" she asked.

"You seemed to have your hands full with that doctor," he said. She frowned.

"Look, I was drunk and mad and I just-" Jim cut her off.

"Mad? What could you possibly be mad about?" he snapped. She paused and pressed her lips together.

"I just-"

"What's your damn excuse?" he snapped.

"My excuse? You want one or several?" she asked. He glared at her.

"Several? What the hell did I do?" he asked. She clenched her fists and tears threatened to spill from her eyes.

"You've been avoiding me and locking yourself up in your room. You go to the club without telling me the truth. And do I even need to mention the fact that I've been needing someone ever since I got off that damn ship?" She snapped, tears spilling from her eyes. Jim felt horrible with every word she said, but his anger was getting the best of him.

"Well excuse me for having a job. I've been so busy trying to clean up the mess you and your brother caused. If he'd checked those crates a little more thoroughly and if you hadn't been kidnapped, I wouldn't have to deal with all this work right now. If you're going to blame anyone, blame yourself!" He snapped back. Claire took a step back.

"Are you serious?" She asked, completely shocked at his words. Her reaction did nothing to calm the rage boiling up inside of him. All the hurt and anger he was feeling that he been bottled up was being released, even if it wasn't all her fault. He wanted to take it out on someone, and she was the only person he could yell at.

"It's not the Claire Conaway show all the damn time. I can't cater to your every beck and call. I am the captain of a ship and my duty is to the crew, not some girl who wouldn't put out for months!" He cried out. A few crew members saw the scene and hurried out of the hall, leaving them alone. Claire felt her tears increasing as Riley's words were echoing in her head again.

"Jim…" She sobbed out. Jim wanted to comfort her, wanted to take back all the nasty things he had just said, but he couldn't.

"Claire, I can't do this right now." she shook her head and tried to calm herself down, but was being unsuccessful.

"He was right. I can't fucking believe he was right," she muttered. Jim raised an eyebrow.

"Who was right?" he asked.

"Riley. He told me you were more concerned with your damn job that anything else. And he was right," she snapped.

"Is that what you think?" he snapped.

"Yeah, that is what I think." He glared down at her.

"Well, I think you're just like Colleen!" he snapped. There was a silence and tears began escaping her eyes at a rapid rate. She looked down and took a deep breath.

"He said this would happen, I can't believe this is happening," she muttered. Jim frowned.

"Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe I should've just left you alone at the bar," he said. Her heart clenched at his words and looked up.

"This is us breaking up… isn't it?" she asked. He frowned.

"I can't have you being a burden or a liability anymore. This thing between us is over." She glared at him.

"Liability? Fuck you! If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have been on that ship and that man wouldn't have…" she trailed off and took a deep breath. Jim simply watched her for a moment before she lifted her hand and he felt a sting against his cheek.

"Oomph, damn," he muttered.

"You're right, we are over," she said, turning around and leaving him alone in the hallway. Jim simply leaned against the wall and tried to stop the few tears from falling down his cheeks. In his head he knew that what happened was inevitable, but it seemed to make his heart feel as though he made the worst mistake in his life.

* * *

"Ryan, get out of bed," Anna snapped as she entered Ryan's room. She'd given him time and attempted to cheer him up whenever possible, but this was getting ridiculous. She couldn't stand his depressed behavior any longer.

"I don't want to. Just go to work without me today," he mumbled from under his covers. Every time he was alone, he couldn't help think about all the lies, betrayal, and even the way he treated his sister. He was an ignorant monster and he deserved to lie in his bed for the rest of his life. The bed that he'd believed he conceived a child in. He'd checked all the records surrounding Colleen's death. It was true, Colleen's child was not his according to the DNA test.

"God damnit, Ryan. You're chief of security. You need to be at work, even if it hurts right now. It might always hurt. You have to learn to live with it. To get over it." Ryan groaned and placed a pillow over his head.

"I can't," he muttered. Anna sighed and walked to the end of the bed and grabbed his ankles. She used all her weight and began to drag him out of bed.

"Yes, you can. Stop your bitching and get up. You have a problem with something, fix it. Don't sit here and dwell on the past. Yeah, you almost married a whore, but then you know better. Next time you won't marry a whore," she snapped. He sighed and sat up, glaring down at the floor.

"All women are whores," he muttered. Anna glared and smacked the back of his head, causing his to groan in pain.

"Jackass, you say that again and I'll have to shank you." She walked over to his closet and pulled out his uniform. "Put this on, I'm throwing out all her clothes, and you can keep other stuff that you liked. From this point on we're getting her permanently out of your life so you can move the fuck on," she said. Ryan sighed and made his way to the bathroom, pausing to look down at her.

"Thanks, Anna…" she smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Of course, what are friends for?" she asked. His face fell for a moment before he nodded and entered the shower.

* * *

McCoy entered his sickbay with a cup of coffee in his hand and feeling powerful. He was large and in charge. He scanned the room for any sign of trouble and paused when he saw something out of place.

"Chambers? Where is Conaway and Peterson?" McCoy snapped, noticing two of his best doctors missing. It was just Alex and the interns manning sickbay. Alex scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I know Liam is taking care of Claire, but I don't know why. They're probably in her room right now," he said, offering up what little knowledge he knew. Liam hadn't said much, except that Claire needed her friends. Alex tried to come along, but Liam had sent him to work. Sometimes, he hated being the bottom.

"I would ask you or the interns to go get them, but I don't trust any of you. I will return soon. Try not to kill anymore," McCoy snapped. Alex nodded as McCoy left the room. Just as the head doctor was out of earshot, all the interns circled around Alex.

"Where's Claire?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Need an orgasm buddy?" The room went silent as everyone turned to look at Spike.

"No, I need you to go to work and mind your own damn business," Alex snapped. The interns begrudgingly went back to work, except for Spike, who was still eagerly looking at Alex.

"So… is that a no?" Spike asked. Alex smacked him with a chart and went back to work.

* * *

"Claire, Claire… are you ever going to come out of the bathroom?" Liam asked. The doors opened and Claire too a few steps out, running a hand through her hair. She looked almost sickly pale, and her eyes were red and puffy.

"I'm out of the bathroom…" she said softly. Liam nodded.

"We're making progress… how about making it to work?" he asked. She frowned and leaned against the wall.

"Work… I'm not even sure I can look at a scalpel," she muttered. Liam grabbed a clean uniform and handed it to her.

"Well, I'm sure you can look at a chart. You can do paper work," he said. She slipped on the uniform, and looked down at the bed, where a blue tank-top sat. Liam followed her gaze and raised an eyebrow. "Claire?"

"That's… that's the shirt I wore when… I wore that shirt the night Jim and I…" Liam looked confused before grabbing the shirt and throwing it under the bed.

"We'll deal with that later, come on… you need to get out of your room," Liam said. Claire sighed and opened the door, only to be met with McCoy.

"Conaway, you were supposed to report to sickbay over an hour ago," he snapped. Claire flinched at his tone of voice and looked down.

"Sorry…" McCoy looked at Liam, who frowned.

"She and Jim… they broke up," he said. McCoy rolled his eyes.

"Really? All of this over a guy? I thought women like you were supposed to be strong and band together, and then just get over it," he muttered, nothing like tough love to help get over a break-up. Claire's eyes shot up to his, and the turned cold.

"Get over it? GET OVER IT? He's the first man I've fallen for in years, I would have given my life for him! Because of him I was kidnapped and almost raped, and he didn't even come to save me. I can't sleep without medication because of him! He just left me! He left me to take care of myself and didn't look back. So, I'm sorry sir if it might be a bit hard to get myself together and get over it!" she hissed. The moment she was finished, she looked down, knowing she was in a world of trouble. However, trouble never came.

"Claire, he breaks a lot of girls' hearts. I'm sorry that you were hurt, but you knew that going into the relationship." McCoy noticed that his words weren't helping the situation at all as Claire's eyes began to water. Liam shot him a nasty look, but McCoy ignored him.

"Honestly, I thought he'd changed for you. But times are stressful right now being captain. He's got to deal with all the paper work, running the ship, and his little grudge thing with Riley. He's not ready," McCoy finished, but Claire still didn't seem effected by the words.

"Thanks for trying, Dr. McCoy, but-" McCoy held up his hand, cutting Liam off.

"I want to see you in sickbay in another hour. Stick to paperwork today." And with that, McCoy was off. Claire left out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding, her body trembling slightly. Liam steered Claire back into her room.

"We've got another hour to get you ready to get through the day. Come on," he told her, navigating her over to her bed. Claire was in no shape for work, but they didn't have a choice. At least McCoy had given them a bit of a break.

* * *

Ryan took a glance over at his sisters table and frowned. If he thought he was doing bad, it was nothing compared to what she must have been going through. Anna said that Jim had broke up with her, and for a week she was trying to pick herself up. Anna sat down across from him and forced a smile upon her face.

"Hey, you feeling any better?" she asked. Ryan shrugged and turned back to his food. There was a silence between them before Anna spoke again. "Have you talked to Rupert?" she asked. Ryan looked up, his eyes suddenly cold.

"I don't want to talk to that bastard," he snapped. Anna nodded.

"I understand, but… you should… try, you know. He is your best friend," she said.

"Was, he was my best friend…" Ryan snapped. Anna leaned forward.

"Ryan, he made a mistake. People make mistakes. He feels horrible for betraying you, and if it wasn't for Colleen, he would've told you right away. That's why he told Claire, because he knew she wouldn't let you go through with something like that," she said.

"But she almost did!" A silence overcame the two of them. "Look… maybe one day I might be able to talk to him, but for now… I'm just going to stick to work, and my punching bag," Ryan said.

"Am I chopped liver?" Anna asked, a small smile on her face. Ryan chuckled and shook his head.

"No… you're a different thing entirely. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be as stable as I am," he said. Anna blushed and looked down.

"Thanks, Ry…" he smirked.

"No, thank you."

* * *

"What do you mean I can't have anymore?" Claire asked. McCoy gave a heavy sigh and picked up a patient chart.

"I mean, you are not being given any more drugs to make you go to sleep. You've been completely dependant on them," McCoy told her.

"I can't sleep without them. I've tried, I really have. But every time I close my eyes…" she trailed off, tears in her eyes. McCoy stood up and frowned down at her.

"I'm sorry, Conaway, but if you continued to use sleeping aids, you're body is going to start depending on them. Whatever the reason is that you can't sleep, you need to face it on your own, or talk to the ships counselor," McCoy said. Claire scrunched her nose and crossed her arms.

"This isn't fair…" McCoy rolled his eyes.

"Life isn't fair kid… get over it." She pressed her lips together and practically stomped out of the room. McCoy just rolled his eyes and continued to work. Claire, however, made her was over to the medical station and looked at Nurse Chapel, who was looking over a chart.

"I need a patient. Preferably some type of surgical patient," Claire said. Nurse Chapel simply frowned.

"Sorry. Doctor McCoy has stated that you are not to have any patients for another three days," she said. Claire's jaw dropped.

"What? I'm a doctor! I need patients!" Nurse Chapel shrugged and handed her a stack of charts.

"Here, these need to be looked over," she said. Claire just stared at the stack before Nurse Chapel walked away. Alex, who had just finished with a patient and placed a chart on the stack.

"Hey, how you doing today?" he asked. She glared at the stack of folders and tapped her fingers against the counter.

"I'm going to kill someone if McCoy doesn't let me have a patient," she snapped. Alex raised an eyebrow and grabbed another patient chart.

"I think that's what they are trying to avoid. You killing someone," Alex said. Claire looked at him, her grey eyes extremely dull despite her anger.

"You're mean…" He shook his head.

"You really are out of it if your best comeback is 'you're mean.'" Claire didn't reply, simply grabbed the stack of charts and walked to 'their' bed. Alex sighed and followed her and sat so he could face her. "Claire…"

"I can't sleep. I can't sleep and he won't give me medicine to make me sleep," she said. Alex pressed his lips together and watched as she angrily began writing things down on her charts.

"Why won't he give them to you?" he asked.

"He says I'm going to become dependant on them. I need to sleep on my own apparently," she muttered. Alex frowned.

"Why can't you sleep on your own?" he asked. She pressed her lips together and looked down. Alex sighed, already knowing the answer.

"It's not like I haven't tried. I always wake up in the middle of the night and can't fall back asleep." Alex sighed and took her hand.

"I'm sorry…"

"I just… I hate waking up alone… you know?" he nodded.

"I'll stay with you tonight. Liam is on graveyard shift. I'll just sleep on the floor or something," Alex said. Claire shrugged.

"You don't have to… I know there are things you'd rather be doing," she said.

"I'm here for you, Claire. If that means I have to deal with sleeping on the floor for a night, then so be it." A small smile looked at though it was going to emerge, but fell last minute. She looked down at his hand and nodded.

"Okay. Thank you," she said softly. He smiled.

"Sure… no problem."

* * *

"Doctor Peterson, I stitched up Lieutenant Jones, is there anything else I need to do?" Liam looked over at the young woman in front of him.

"You know how to chart, Doctor Rogers, right?" she frowned, her pale green eyes looking slightly annoyed.

"Yes, sir… but I sort of had plans tonight," she said. Liam raised an eyebrow.

"Like sleeping with my best friends ex-boyfriend?" Sophie turned bright red and looked down. "Do your job, then you can get out of here."

"Fine," she muttered. Liam rolled his eyes and looked up just as someone entered sickbay. He had to hide the snarl as the captain walked up to the medical station.

"Um…"

"Your fuck buddy is charting, you can do her when she's done," Liam snapped. Jim frowned and scratched the back of his head.

"You know, Claire and I broke up. This isn't cheating or anything. I'm not hurting anyone," Jim said. Liam scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah right, you honestly think you're not hurting her? You're just lucky Alex and I have been keeping it from her." Jim looked down and focused on the counter.

"Is… is she alright?" Jim asked. Liam raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really care?"

"Of course I care! But I just can't… talk to her," Jim muttered. Despite what he told her, he did love her. At the time he was angry and just didn't want her around as a reminder that Riley had hurt her because of him. Now that he looked back on it, he told himself that he broke up with her so she wouldn't be put in that position again, so she wouldn't get hurt. Liam just looked at the man. He didn't look half as bad as Claire, but he could tell that the man was hurting.

"She's… trying," he answered. Jim frowned, but before he could answer, Sophie walked into the room.

"Hey, Jimmy… ready to go?" she asked. Jim visibly flinched at being called 'Jimmy' but reached out and took hold of her.

"Come on, let's get out of here," he said, reaching down and grabbing her ass. She giggled and they left sickbay. Liam rolled his eyes and went back to work. He only hoped Claire didn't see him like that.

* * *

Ryan pressed his lips together as he worked over a few security files. He tried to concentrate on work, but he was too tired to let his mind focus. Someone sat on his desk and he looked up and smiled at Anna. Of course, he didn't fail to notice that her dress was showing quite a bit of her legs. Her caramel colored skin looked like silk as she leaned back on the desk.

"Hey, how's work?" she asked. He rolled his eyes.

"Are you really asking about work? Or do you really want to know how I'm doing?" he asked. A small smiled came to her face, and she looked down in shame.

"I… uh… hmm. I know you hate being asked how you are doing, but, I want to know," she said. He smiled and watched as he brown eyes began searching over his desk, stopping at a picture of him and Claire.

"I'm… working on it. I feel like something's missing, and going back to my empty room isn't helping," he replied. She nodded and her eyes finally met his.

"It's going to be difficult, but everything will work out, eventually," she said. He nodded and stood up, his body brushing up against her legs. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself, but was having difficulty doing so. Anna didn't seem to notice. Ryan glanced at the picture on his desk and tried to distract himself.

"Have you… have you talked to Claire?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No, but Liam talks to me about her," she told him. Ryan nodded and looked down.

"How is she?" Anna sighed and stood up, placing a hand on his arm.

"Why don't you just talk to her? I'm sure she misses you." Ryan looked down at her.

"After what happened? Jesus… she was broken and I just kicked her while she was down. It hurts just to think about what I did," he muttered.

"I know, but she's your sister. She's going to love you no matter what." Ryan shrugged and picked up a file.

"I can't… not right now," he said. She nodded.

"She's doing fine. Liam and Alex have been trying to distract her," She muttered.

"Distract her from what?" Ryan asked. Anna sighed and raised an eyebrow.

"Well… their trying to distract her from Jim."

"What is Jim doing?" Anna seemed to suddenly be very uncomfortable.

"He's sleeping with a doctor in sickbay. Sophie, I think her name is." Ryan clenched his fists and rolled his eyes.

"That son of a-"

"Ryan, just… don't get involved. You raised her, you know she is strong, she just needs some convincing. Once you get on your feet, you can help her. But right now, you have to take care of you." Ryan's eyes simply stared into hers and he smiled lightly. He moved in and hugged her close, taking in her scent for a moment before pulling away.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"For being patient with me. Not to mention you kicking me out of my funk," he said. She chuckled and shrugged.

"Of course, that's what I'm for." Ryan didn't reply, but his grey eyes seemed to become warmer upon hearing her words. Maybe moving on wouldn't be so difficult.

* * *

Alex placed his sleeping bag on the floor and slipped his shirt off. Normally he would've worn a tank-top, but forgot about laundry so was forced to sleep in just his sweatpants. He placed a pillow down on the floor and sat down on the floor. He heard the doors open to the bathroom and looked up. Claire wore a pair of very short shorts, and a tee-shirt that seemed to be content with clinging to her curves. He couldn't help but let his eyes wander, taking in the feminine curves he had been secretly missing for some time. He loved his boyfriend, but he still found women very attractive.

"You sure you're going to be comfortable?" she asked. He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked down.

"Yeah, should be just fine," Alex said. She walked over and sat on the chair right near him. He pulled his eyes away from her legs and looked up at her.

"You can take the bed, it's really no big deal," she told him.

"Really, Claire… it's fine…" she nodded and ran a hand through her slightly damp hair. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah…" she whispered.

"Claire…" Alex raised an eyebrow as she looked to be struggling with something.

"I'm just scared is all, and as much as I appreciate you being here…" She trailed off and looked down in shame.

"You want Jim to be here," he said, spitting the mans name out. Claire nodded.

"Yeah, am I pathetic, or what?" he sighed and took hold of her hand.

"You're not pathetic, you're grieving. You both are," he said. Claire's eyes seemed to turn cold as she looked down at him.

"Maybe I should try and grieve like Jim and sleep with the new doctors in sickbay," she said. Alex froze and watched her carefully.

"You know about Sophie?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.

"Of course I know. They aren't exactly quiet about it. Not to mention Janice in engineering loves to gossip," Claire said. Alex stood up and pulled her into a hug, ignoring how soft her feminine frame was.

"I'm sorry, Claire. He's a jerk," he whispered.

"It's whatever, we should get some sleep," she said softly. She pulled away and walked over to her bed. Alex nodded and sat down on his sleeping bag.

"Night Claire…"

"Night Alex."

* * *

"Evening, Liam."

"Oh, good evening Ryan. What brings you here?" Liam looked up from his intern reports to see an exhausted looking Ryan trudge into sickbay. Ryan glanced around the room, searching for something, before taking a seat next to him.

"How's Claire?" He blurted out, not even bothering to beat around the bush. Liam wasn't even surprised.

"We're taking care of her," he told him in a cold tone. Ryan flinched, but nodded.

"I was hopping she was working tonight so I could talk to her…" Liam just shook his head.

"I don't know if she's up for that yet. She just stopped taking sleeping medications and she's pretty short-tempered right now," Liam explained. Ryan gave him a half-smile.

"And that's different because?" Ryan chuckled at his own joke, but Liam just shot him a glare.

"She's hurting pretty bad, you know? Whatever happened on the cargo ship left her kind of broken. Not to mention Jim dumping her, you flipping shit at her, and the fact she couldn't save Colleen… she's pretty messed up right now. You have no right to joke about that!" Liam snapped. Ryan jumped back, startled at Liam's tone of voice. He hadn't meant to be that offensive, but he also didn't know the extent of how bad his sister was suffering. Ryan could feel his heart ache, even more so then when he'd found out the news of Colleen's lies. This was his sister. His family.

"I'm going to talk to her soon. She may not forgive me right away, but I'm not going to give up on her that easily. I won't be like everyone else… I won't be like Jim and push her away!" Ryan declared. Liam nodded and turned back to his work.

"Then why are you here talking to me and not talking to her yourself?" Ryan rose from his chair, but Liam grabbed his arm.

"Wait until tomorrow. Alex is staying with her tonight to make sure she gets a full night's sleep."

_

* * *

_

Claire woke up in the familiar dark cell upon Riley's cargo ship. The faint sound of a pipe dripping was heard in the distance as the cold air wrapped around her barely clothed body. She could feel goose bumps line her arms and the hairs on the back of her neck stood erect. She could smell the mold growing inside of the cell and it almost made her want to throw up. Just as she was about to call out, the sound of a squeaky door echoed through the cell and a small ray of light appeared in the cell. Claire looked up to see Riley take a few steps into the cell.

"_I told you he'd leave you."_

"_Shut up…" Claire mumbled weakly, trying to block out Riley's words._

"_He never loved you."_

"_Shut up," she repeated, her hands clamping her ears shut. But his voice only sounded louder as he began walking towards her._

"_He cares more about everyone else on that ship than you."_

"_Shut up!" She cried again, but Riley didn't stop. She looked up to see his pants dropping to the ground. Before her eyes, Riley's face morphed into Nuhir's. His shirt seemed to melt away as the tattooed skin of the Romulan appeared before her._

"_Let me hear you scream…"_

* * *

Claire felt herself screaming as she bolted up in bed. The memory of the dream still fresh in her mind. She felt hands on her shoulder and she practically jumped five feet in the air.

"NO!" she cried. The hands on her shoulder simply held on, and she was soon met with warm brown eyes.

"Claire, it's me! It's Alex!" she stopped screaming, but tears still streaked down her cheeks and she was shaking. Alex simply raised one of his hands to cup her cheek, as if to show her he was real.

"Alex…" she breathed. He nodded and she fell forward into his chest. He sighed and pulled her closer, rubbing her back.

"It's okay, I'm here. Just breathe Claire." She continued to cry, trying to calm herself down. Alex looked down at her small frame and felt his heart ache. Never before had he seen her so broken. She looked pretty bad when Pam died, but this was much worse. He even dared to wonder if she would ever recover from this. Eventually she stopped shaking, and he could hear her sob quietly.

"Claire… do you want to talk about it?" he asked. She shook her head and stayed silent. He simply rubbed her arms and rocked her back and forth, in order to sooth her. After a few minutes, she pulled away from him and wiped her eyes.

"I just…" she stopped and pulled herself out of his arms and stood up from the bed. She paused to adjust her shirt before heading to the bathroom and leaning over the sink. The door stayed open and Alex got off the bed, walking over till he was in the doorway. He watched as she splashed some water over her face and then take a few deep breaths. She took a towel and dried the water of her face and turned back to the sink.

"Claire…" she took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. Alex let his eyes selfishly rake over her curves. He shook his head and pulled his eyes away from her thighs, and looked back to her face. After a moment she stood up and turned toward him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think that… I didn't expect the dream to be that bad," she said softly. He shook his head.

"You don't have to be sorry, it's understandable," he said. She looked down and took a few steps toward him, but then stopped.

"I shouldn't be this messed up. This isn't fair," she muttered. He moved forward and placed his rough hands on her shoulder.

"It's not fair, you don't deserve to be put through this. You're tough, you'll get through it," he said. She felt tears come to her eyes as his words sunk in.

"Sometimes, I don't think I will." Alex sighed and his hands moved up to her face, his rough palms feeling warm against her cold cheeks.

"I hope you do. Because I'll be honest, work just isn't as lively when you're sad," he said.

"Really?" she asked, though her voice sounded a bit pathetic. He nodded and his thumb brushed away a stray tear.

"Yeah…" They stood in silence for a moment, his brown eyes clashing against her grey. She hesitantly moved forward, her body merely inches away from his, and her eyes dropped to his lips. His did the same, and soon he felt her pale lips on his and her arms snaking up to his shoulders. He gently caressed her cheek before moving his arms around her waist, pulling her closer against his body. A few seconds later, Claire pulled away. She had a blank look on her face, as if trying to register what had just happened.

"Claire… I'm so-" Before Alex could finish, Claire leaned forward again and crashed her lips upon his. Alex wobbled slightly from the impact, but closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her soft warm lips against his own. She placed her hand on his bare chest, feeling his muscles tense under her touch. This time, Alex pulled away.

"What are we doing?" He asked breathlessly, searching Claire's eyes for an answer. She seemed just as confused as he was and shook her head.

"I don't know," she whispered back. They stood in silence another few seconds before rushing each other again. This time, the kiss was more heated and intense as Alex slipped his tongue into Claire mouth, causing them both to groan. Claire snapped her eyes shut and allowed herself to give into the moment. For that brief moment, the empty feeling was gone. The fear was gone. It was just her and Alex.

_

* * *

_

Onto the reviews!

_**Lintered  
**__**Raxsah: **__Technically you reviewed Chapter 12, which was the valentines day one. O.o Crazy chapter. Yes it would be very awkward. I hope Bones doesn't stroke out. Without him we wouldn't have a hard ass in the story. (Yes we are aware he is very OOC, can't help it now. Sorry.)  
__**Jeck: **__SUBMIT TO THE OOCNESS! SUBMIT! I lack a brother, so I don't know how to feel in a situation like that… so I just picture myself in that situation with a man in general. Mad awkward…_

_**amberhathaway  
**__**Jeck: **__Well… yeah… Colleen was a stupid bitch. Just saying.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes. It's sad when you start to hate your own characters after you create them. O.o I believe we actually planned for Ryan to be with her till the end too. That changed._

_**NickiR0x  
**__**Raxsah: **__Yes, Colleen sucks balls. I actually do like Rupert, but of course, he's a man. And I think a man added with alcohol, added with a woman he actually likes, is just trouble. If you want action, talk to Jeck. She's good at that. I'm good at the fluffy stuff. Though she has some really cute one liners in there that just make me go "AWWWWW" lol. Enough of embarrassing Jeck.  
__**Jeck: **__And now that the world knows how I run and operate, I suppose I'll just continue on. Men have a tendency to be stupid. That's why I like women. They're just bitches. I like it. ;3 Raxsah doesn't give herself enough credit though, she did write some good action scenes too. Don't worry, there will be plenty more in the future. How do we know? Cause we're almost done. (still… still only ALMOST done)_

_**SWfangirl21  
**__**Jeck: **__Not to worry! We knew you couldn't stay away from us for long! Yeah, we all knew the Kirk and Claire thing was going to happen sooner or later. Yeah, it still makes me giggle in knowing that Raxsah can't read through the Alex/Liam lemons (that's right, I said lemons! Spoiler alert!). Wow, I'm really happy that the Ryan/Anna thing caught on. I was worried it wouldn't… but then again, we all know Colleen is such a bitch! Sorry that it took us so long for update… college is a very new thing to me and I'm still trying to work out a good schedule so I can still get me some Raxsah time. She's like a drug! :3 I 3 my BFFF!  
__**Raxsah: **__Of course we were going to put some Jim and Claire lovin', I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm sorry, but it still makes my face turn bright red. I just got over the being bashful at writing a regular lemon! Yes, we like Anna much more than Colleen. She don't take no shit! Ensign Creeper, I wonder if anyone knows his actual name, or if they all just say Ensign Creeper? Lol. Now, if they double checked, that would be no fun, would it? Of course they are going to be stupid. It's what they do. Don't be too mad at Rupert. I mean, yeah he's an ass, but shit happens. I miss my Jeck, life is just not fun without her. I'm stuck with Peter Pan all the time. COME HOME BABY! I 3 Jeck/person/BFFF_

_**Yayyou  
**__**Raxsah: **__We would… if we could go back and rewrite over two hundred pages. I apologize for Bones being OOC, but we made him like that for a reason. Think of him as a Doctor Cox, who needs to keep all the newbies in line! (Doctor Cox is from Scrubs BTW, if you didn't know. I know a couple of people don't watch the show.)  
__**Jeck: **__Well, he is in this story. Take our OOC with a grain of salt. It's not how we actually think of him, it's just how it fits into the story._

_**Draco MalfoyGirl 16  
**__**Jeck: **__Thanks. Here's the next chapter. Not much more to say than that.  
__**Raxsah: **__You ask, we deliver… eventually. Good thing we're not running the mail system._

_**X-PANIC  
**__**Raxsah; **__Here is a little dose for now. Hopefully that will hold you over for a bit. And Alex has to be on top sometimes!  
__**Jeck: **__Alex and Raxsah have something in common then. Because everyone already knows that I'm a top. :3 WITHDRAW NO MORE, FOR WE HAVE DELIVERED! And now, TAKE YOUR BEYOND THE SUN MEDICINE! _

_**Jeck: **__I believe that covers everyone for this chapter.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yup. Though I'm sure we will get a lot of shit for this chapter. Especially seeing as where we left off. O.o Remember kiddies, things happen for a reason. Just keep reading and we promise things will work out!  
__**Jeck: **__But we're also known for being good at mindfucking people. Just putting that out there too.  
__**Raxsah: **__I guess you'll just have to read it to find out then. Till next time lovelies!  
__**Jeck: **__Random fact of the day- My roommate went out to Walmart at 9pm to buy a goldfish. That is all._


	19. Funhouse

_**Raxsah: **__Dear my dear friend Jeck. I miss you. Bring your ass home and come play in the bouncy house at my college with me. You shall lose your pants and we will party with all the hotties on campus, male and female!  
__**Jeck: **__Dear my dear friend dear Raxsah dear hi, OMG HI! What are you doing here? It's great to talk to you via internet again! You should come to college with me and SAVE ME FROM MY ROOMMATES CRACK ADDICTED FRIENDS! And we shall find you an easily corruptible man. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__Jeck, you're not supposed to use my real name on . Just be happy I changed it. Welcome back our dearies! Did you miss us? We're relatively on time this week.  
__**Jeck: **__Whoops, I did, didn't I. My bad. I'm sick as a dog, cut me some slack. At least I didn't call you like Shay nay nay or something. And yes, we have returned. Updating Sunday might become a regular thing for us.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, especially since it's the only time both of us are free. Jeck's just lucky I finished my English essay before she IMed me. Anyway, we know a couple of people were upset with last chapter… or at least confused to what the hell we were thinking. Which is quite a common question asked… at least in my case.  
__**Jeck: **__People don't ask me anymore. Most of them don't want to know what I was thinking. And also, just a warning out there, we are not responsible for angst related heart failures (just so you know X-PANIC).  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, I'm pretty sure we have a disclaimer somewhere around here about that… if not we should get one. Lol… I'm watching my dog run in circles trying to chase her tail. It is quite amusing.  
__**Jeck: **__I just kicked some bitch out of my room for using all of my roommate's printer ink. Damn, she says she wants to print out one thing, but one thing is like 20 pages long. Bitch… anyway, we should get on to the story soon.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, because, believe it or not, they are here for the story. Enjoy!_

**

* * *

**

Chapter 19: Funhouse

* * *

The next morning, Claire slowly regained consciousness from sleep. She didn't want to open her eyes just yet as she cuddled closer to the source of warmth next to her. Was it all a dream? The warmth next to her moved, and she came to the sudden realization that she was naked, and so was the warmth next to her.

She sat up quickly, taking her sheets with her in order to cover some vital body parts. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the pile of clothes not far from her, and the disheveled sleeping bag that no longer held Alex in it. Her head whipped around and looked down next to her, her eyes going wide upon seeing a very naked Alex sleeping next to her.

"Shit," she hissed, practically falling out of the bed. The moment she hit the ground, Alex shot up and looked around. His eyes landed on Claire, and memories of the previous night resurfaced.

"Holy shit," he muttered. She quickly placed a long tee-shirt over herself, and took a few steps away from the bed.

"Oh my god, Alex, I'm so sorry!" she said, tears coming back to her eyes. He placed his face in his hands and tried to sort out his thoughts. Claire watched him carefully, her grey eyes tracing over the room.

"Fuck…" he muttered. Claire sat at her desk chair, making sure that she didn't give him a show, despite the face he probably saw everything.

"I'm so, so, so sorry," she mumbled.

"It's not your fault, Claire… it takes two to have sex," he said. She frowned and covered her mouth with her hands.

"But… I started it, I shouldn't have started it. All of it was so unplanned, it happened so fast. God, I'm sorry," she muttered.

"It wasn't _that_ fast… but yeah, it was fast." After a moment, his head shot up and he began searching the room.

"What are you looking for?" she asked.

"I'm looking for a condom wrapper, I don't remember using one. Shit!" he hissed. He rolled out of bed and quickly slipped on his sweatpants.

"Alex, I'm on a birth control shot, there is nothing to worry about. It doesn't run out for another couple of months," she said. He gave a sigh of relief and sat on the bed. After another moment he looked up.

"What am I going to tell Liam?" Claire felt her heart sink as she realized that not only did she just have sex with Alex, she had betrayed her best friend.

"Jesus… this situation can't get any worse," she muttered.

"That's not true… you could be pregnant," he said. She glared at him.

"Thanks Alex." He nodded and paused.

"And you could still have a boyfriend. That could've made it worse too." Claire picked up one of her boots sitting on the ground and chucked it across the room. Alex didn't even duck as the boot flew over the other end of the bed.

"I hate you," she snapped. Alex nodded and gave her a small smile.

"That's not what you were saying last night," he stated. Claire folded her arms and leaned back in her chair, her eyes focus on the ceiling.

"Jokes aside, I feel horrible…" she mumbled. Alex nodded and looked down at the ground, running a hand through his short hair.

"I don't know what I'm going to tell Liam…" he said, mostly to himself. Claire looked across the room and really took a look at Alex. He was hurting now too. Just like her. And it was all her fault.

"The truth is probably a good start," she offered. Alex nodded and placed his face in his hands.

"I know I'm supposed to be here for you and I fucked up big time. I'm so sorry, Claire," he told her, but he couldn't look her in the eyes. Against her better judgment, Claire stood up and crossed the room to take a seat next to Alex. The shock had worn off and now the guilt was settling in, but Claire didn't really think it would ruin their friendship. They were friends before anything else.

"You know, it's funny. Back when we first started working on the _Enterprise_, you would've killed to sleep with me," she mused. Alex chuckled slightly, but he was still tearing himself up inside.

"That was before Liam. I never felt this way about anyone, man or woman, before. And now I screwed it up…" she nodded.

"I know the feeling," she muttered. He shot her a sympathetic look.

"We're both really bad when it comes to the relationship department… aren't we?" he asked.

"I think that's the understatement of the year…"

* * *

Claire walked down the hallway, a cup of coffee in one hand, and a chart in the other. Alex had left not to long ago, and she decided it was finally time to make her way to work. She continued to read over her chart, only looking up when she heard a strand of high pitched giggles. When she did, she wished she hadn't. In front of her stood Sophie Rogers, and her former boyfriend. Both of them were in the middle of a heated lip lock. Jim stopped and looked up, his eyes resting on her before he pulled away from Sophie. Sophie turned pale and looked at Claire.

"Doctor Conaway…" she said. Claire looked back down at her chart and walked past them.

"Claire…" she heard Jim say, but she ignored them and walked to the medical station. She could hear what sounded like an argument coming from the back room and looked back down at her chart.

"What's going on with everyone today?" Nurse Chapel asked. Claire shrugged but didn't speak.

"Claire." She looked over and quickly looked back at her chart.

"Can I help you, Captain?" she asked. He sighed.

"Look, it's not what you think. She's just a stress reliever," Jim said. Claire looked at him, her grey eyes turning deathly cold.

"So you're just using her? Was that supposed to make me feel better? Jesus," she snapped.

"Claire, I don't want things to be so strained between us," he said.

"Maybe you shouldn't be sleeping with other doctors then. It's only been a week, Jim," she said. Nurse Chapel took a look at the two of them before picking up her things and leaving the two of them alone.

"Can't we be friends?" he asked. She sighed, and before she could reply, the door to the back room swung open.

"Liam, wait!" Alex called. Liam ignored him and walked up to Claire.

"How could you? How could you!" he screamed. Claire flinched.

"I'm so sorry-"

"No your not! If you were sorry you wouldn't have fucked my boyfriend in the first place!" Liam hissed. Jim's eyes went wide.

"You had sex with Alex?" he asked. Liam turned toward him.

"You shut up! If it wasn't for you, none of this would've happened." Before Jim could speak, Claire took a step forward.

"Liam, it was an accident. It just sort of… happened," she said. Liam paused before smacking the drink out of her hand, causing a good bit of it to spill on her.

"You, Claire Conaway, are a whore!" he shouted. Claire flinched and looked down, not bothering to deny it. The room was deathly silent before Liam walked past them and stormed out of sickbay. Everyone in the room turned to Claire, and she felt her cheeks heat up in shame.

"Claire." She didn't care, who said he name, or what they wanted, she just wanted to get as far away from the group as possible. She turned toward the door and all but ran out of sickbay, not paying attention to where she was going. She turned the corner and almost collided with someone, only to stop short and look up.

"Claire?" His grey eyes were full of worry, and regret.

"Ryan…" she muttered, her voice was all but broken, and she felt as though she was going to collapse.

"I'm sorry for what I did. You didn't deserve it. You did your best with Colleen, and I should've known that. You needed me and I was too involved with myself to care. I'm sorry, can you forgive me?" he paused as his eyes scanned over her face.

"Claire, why are you crying?" he asked. She said nothing as she felt the tears pour down her cheeks. Her brothers words seemed to pierce right through her chest, and the more he apologized, the more she realized she missed him.

She said nothing more as she stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his middle and buried her face in his chest. He paused for a moment before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. She was sobbing heavily and she was shaking in his arms. In the back of her mind, she made a note of the fact she had cried more the past couple of weeks, than she had the past five years of her life.

"Ryan, I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry. I'm a horrible person. I'm so sorry," she cried into his chest. Ryan said nothing as he pulled his sister close, a few tears of his own making their way d

own his face.

"Don't be sorry, Claire. I should have never flipped out at you," he whispered to her, trying to hold back his own tears. Claire buried her face closer to his chest, enjoying the calming effect that being closer to her brother brought.

"It doesn't matter. Just as long as you're here now…" She said breathlessly into his chest. Ryan nodded, still trying and failing at holding his own tears back. Jim and Alex looked out at them from sickbay doors, but Ryan glared at them. Alex nodded and left, but Jim wouldn't move.

"How dare you try to comfort her after what you did to her in sickbay?" Jim hissed, moving closer to the siblings. Ryan lightly kissed his sister on the top of her head and moved her so she was out of his way.

"What I did? You dumped her after avoiding her. I heard all about it. You think you're a better man? You didn't even try to make things work. Your biggest problem was not being able to kill a man. Hypocritical much?" Ryan snapped.

"I won't let you hurt your sister again. She may not be my girlfriend anymore, but she's a member of my crew and I won't let anything happen to her!" Jim countered, but Ryan scoffed.

"She can fight her own battles. It took me long enough to realize it, but she's strong. And she doesn't need you. You seem to care more about her as a crew member than you ever did as her boyfriend. And I fucked up big time, but I won't let my sister suffer," Ryan told him, but his words were not just to the captain as Ryan turned to look at Claire. She was watching the display between the two men, but she didn't seem all there. After everything that had happened in the past ten minutes, Ryan wasn't surprised.

* * *

"Sir, we just bordered a Starfleet shuttle craft. There were a handful of rouge Starfleet members on the shuttle. What should we do?" Nuhir asked as Riley stared aimlessly through the clear window in the front of his ship. All the stars seemed to sparkle at him, causing the empty feeling in his chest explode with anger. He slammed his hand down.

"I don't care. Kill them," Riley snapped, too preoccupied with his own thoughts. Nuhir nodded and prepared to leave, but Tre'gok turned around in his chair to face Nuhir and Riley.

"Sir, wouldn't it be a better idea to see if they'll join our crew and help us destroy the _Enterprise_. We lost a lot of men in our last encounter with them," Tre'gok stated. Nuhir stopped and turned to face Riley as well.

"He has a point. We're drastically low on men right now. It wouldn't hurt and if they refuse, then we can kill them," Nuhir offered. Riley sat in silence for a moment, trying to balance his thoughts between his late wife and the current situation.

"Bring them to me," he demanded after a few minutes. Nuhir nodded and left. No one said a word as they waited for the arrival of the rouge Starfleet members. Tre'gok sat at his post in silence, not wanting to say anything that might offended the captain. After everything that had occurred with Kirk, Riley had been in a horrible mood and had not been afraid to take it out on his own men. Finally after ten minutes, Nuhir reentered the room with six men following behind him. Riley spun in his chair to face the young men.

"Here you are, Captain," Nuhir said, gesturing to the men. Riley nodded.

"I have one simple request. Join us or die," Riley said simply, not bothering to beat around the bush. His main focus was revenge, not these expendable tools called men.

"I don't really think any of us want to die, so we'll join you. What's the plan, sir?" The man standing in front of the other men asked. He appeared to be their mini leader. Riley grinned.

"We'll be attacking the _U.S.S. Enterprise_. Heard of it?" Riley asked. The head man nodded.

"Heard of it? We had attacked it a few months ago. We've got an old score to settle with Kirk and their chief of security, Ryan Conaway," the man explained. Riley's grin expanded at his statement.

"The Conaway boy? Well, this is perfect then. What's your name?" The leader of the rouge members of Starfleet extended his hand to Riley.

"My name is Griffin." Riley smiled, his teeth actually showing.

"Welcome aboard, Griffin."

* * *

Ryan glanced up from his lunch to look at his sister, who was moving a bunch of her food around on her plate. The past few days had been though, for everyone. Ryan had found the strength to pull himself together enough to take care of Claire, which seemed to be a job in itself. He spent meals with her and Anna, and a few nights he spent with Claire, helping her out after her nightmares. Now, he was trying to get her to eat again.

"Claire, it's spaghetti, you love spaghetti," Ryan said. Claire gave a sigh and put her fork down.

"I know, I'm just not hungry," she muttered. Ryan just continued to watch her until Alex sat down.

"Okay, Liam won't even look at me. I said I was sorry, you'd think another dude would be like… whatever, and get over it," Alex said. Claire's face fell and she looked down at her food.

"You cheated on the man, of course he's not just going to get over it," Ryan muttered. Claire just ran a hand through her hair and looked over at Liam's table, where he was sitting with Rupert and Oliver.

"Yeah well… he's not talking to me either," Claire said. Alex sighed and began to devour his food.

"Yeah. Hey, where is Anna?" Alex asked.

"She decided that she was going to head to the gym. She said it was a while since she worked out," Ryan said. Claire looked as though she were concentrating hard on something before she suddenly stood up.

"Hey, where are you going?" Alex asked. Claire paused before shrugging.

"No clue, I'll be back eventually." Ryan just raised an eyebrow before turning to his food.

"You know… I'll never understand her," Alex said.

"I'm not sure anyone does," Ryan replied.

* * *

Anna took a deep breath as she kicked the holographic Kilngon in the side. The Klingon lunged toward her and she spun in order to miss him. The hologram shouted and pulled out a knife, reminding her that she had upped the difficulty level. He swung it at her and she kicked it out of his hand, using his own weight against him as he lunged at her. She ten quickly grabbed the dagger and threw it at him, hitting him square in the chest.

_"Computer simulation, over," _the cool voice of the computer said. Anna gave a few deep breaths before turning to her duffel bag, jumping a bit when she saw Claire standing there.

"Shit, I didn't see you there," Anna said. Claire gave a small smile and handed her a water bottle.

"Sorry, Ryan said you were down here and I wanted to see what it was exactly that you were doing," Claire said.

"Just some basic combat. It's better to pick a fight with a computer than pick a fight with a security officer." Claire nodded and stared at the floor for a moment. Anna grabbed a towel and wiped her face from sweat.

"So… how are you and Ryan?" Claire asked. Anna turned a bit red but shrugged.

"We're… friends. He's still trying to get over Colleen."

"He'll get over it. He's strong," Claire said. Anna nodded and grabbed a hoodie to cover her body.

"How are you holding up?" Anna asked. Claire frowned and continued to stare at the spot on the floor.

"I'm… I'm falling apart," Claire admitted. Anna placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You can pull yourself together. I mean, you and Jim-"

"I don't care about that," Claire snapped. Anna jumped and raised an eyebrow. After a minute Claire took a deep breath. "I mean… I do care about it. But I can't… I can't concentrate on it. One, because I'm just going to hurt even more. And two, I'm so stressed from these nightmares that my mind won't let me think about anything else," Claire said.

"What are you going to do about it?" Anna asked.

"I need you to teach me how to fight," Claire said. Anna raised her eyebrows.

"What? How is that going to help you?" Claire shrugged.

"I figure if I feel like I can protect myself, I can conquer the main part of my dream. The rest is just me trying to deal with Jim," she said. Anna sighed and rubbed the back of her neck.

"I thought you could fight. You were holding your own with Colleen," Anna said.

"I know the basics. I couldn't kick a Romulan's ass though," she admitted.

"Who would you…" Anna trailed off as Claire gave her a look.

"I'm tired of being helpless. I want to be able to protect myself. Please…" Anna gave a heavy sigh and grabbed her duffel bag. She wasn't sure if Claire's plan would work, but she could see that she was dedicated, maybe that was all she needed.

"Okay, meet me here tomorrow morning and 0500 hours. This isn't going to be easy," Anna warned.

"I never said it would be."

* * *

Ryan glanced up from his breakfast and work to see an exhausted looking Anna sit across from him. Her dark brown hair was in waves as she began to eat her eggs.

"You alright?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I've been on graveyard shift the past couple of days, and doing that while helping Claire out has been tiring," Anna said. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know you were helping Claire out. What are you guys doing?" Anna shrugged.

"She wanted to know how to defend herself better, so I've been teaching her. Now I'm just having her fight a few simulations and hoping she'll get the hang of it." Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"You sure that's a good idea?" he asked.

"Yeah, it makes her feel more empowered by not relying on others, and it's a good stress reliever. It's sort of like you with your punching bag. I mean, it's not as great as seeing a therapist, but it might help her figure things out." Ryan smiled and reach out, grabbing a hold of her hand. He didn't fail to notice that she was blushing.

"Thank you. You might be right, this might be just what Claire needs." Anna smiled and looked away from his hand.

"Yeah, uh… no problem," she muttered. Ryan turned back to his food as Anna remained frozen with a smile and a blush covering her face.

"So how's she doing?" Ryan asked inquisitively. Anna seemed to snap back to reality at Ryan's words and turned back to her own food.

"Not too bad, actually. She lacks in the physical strength part, so her offense isn't as strong as yours or mine, but her defensive moves and pretty good. It's pretty hard to land a hit on her," Anna told him, proud of her student. As exhausting as it was, it was nice to have a friend and someone who looked up to you. Not to mention she was finally able to talk about her feelings for Ryan to someone.

"That sounds pretty good. You must be an excellent teacher," Ryan told her. Anna's blush increased, but she nodded.

"I hope so. Later tonight, I plan on giving her the last lesson I have planned for her," Anna explained. Ryan's ears perked up.

"Oh really, and what do you have in store for her?" Ryan asked with a playful smirk. Anna merely picked up her finished tray and got up to leave.

"Now that, Mr. Conaway, is a secret," Anna told him with a grin before leaving the table. Ryan chuckled to himself before turning back to his food. After a minute a staring at his waffles, Ryan's smile turned to a frown. He still thought about Colleen when he had moments like this to himself. She was gone and he could accept that, but it was all the things that were never said between them that really bugged him. She lied to him. Their whole relationship was her lying to him, cheating on him, and keeping their baby's real father a secret. Ryan sometimes would find himself imagining the conversation he would have had with her…

"_How could you lie to me like that?"_

"_I'm sorry, Ryan. I just wanted you to be happy…"_

"_How would that make me happy? You cheated on me and lied about it! The baby isn't even mine!"_

"_Why does it matter whose the biological father? You would always be his or her real father!"_

"_Colleen, I just can't do this anymore…"_

He just couldn't imagine it any other way. Ryan just couldn't marry her after what she did. And she died his fiancée, not his ex-fiancée. And that just didn't sit right. Oh course Ryan loved her, but he just wouldn't ever be able to look at her the same way again. But now it didn't matter. Ryan took one last look over his shoulder to see Anna retreating form. Maybe there was hope.

* * *

"Alright, so just, program the guy from your nightmare and we'll go from there," Anna said. Claire paused an raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I said so. If you can defeat your biggest fear, you can defeat anything. Right now your biggest fear is the guy in your dream," Anna said. Claire nodded and began typing a few things into the computer.

"Is that why you always fight Klingons?" Claire asked. Anna nodded.

"Yeah, ever since that away mission. I still have the scar to prove it," Anna said. Claire nodded and gave a heavy sigh.

"That's him…" she said. Anna took a look at it and frowned.

"You gave him a name," She stated.

"He has a name. He's my greatest fear. Not that I want him to know that," Claire said. Anna chuckled lightly and pushed Claire to the middle of the sparing ring.

"Alright, just remember your defense moves and use his own weight against him. I'm right here if you need the simulation to be turned off, but you need to take care of this yourself." Claire nodded and took a deep breath.

"Okay, I think I'm ready," she said softly. Anna nodded and punched a few keys in on the keyboard. Claire entered the holo-deck, just waiting for the stimulation to start.

"Get ready, Claire. Three… two… one… GO!" Anna's voice continued to echo through the empty room, even as the speaker crackled off. Claire could hear her own heart beating in her ears as she waited. Every night, even now, she still dreamt the same dream. Claire didn't wait long as the familiar form of Nuhir appeared in front of her. His trench coat blew in the non-existing wind and his eyes were cold and taunting.

"Well, if it isn't Claire Conaway. We meet again," he sneered, taking a few steps closer to Claire. Instinctively, Claire took a ready stance, her fists held up as she waited. Nuhir chuckled, sending involuntary shivers down Claire's spine.

"I'm ready for you," Claire snapped, her voice sounding a lot more confident than she felt. All the fears and memories surrounding the Romulan rushed back at her and for a moment, she felt light headed and a little sick. Nuhir smirk was just the same in the hologram version as it was in real life.

"I'll have you screaming for your mother," the hologram of Nuhir snapped back. Claire frozen, his choice of words bringing her back to the moment that she sat helplessly in the cell. Waiting for him to… Without warning, Claire lunged forward and felt her knuckle connect with his jaw. The punch wasn't enough to damage it severely, but it was enough to force the Romulan back a few steps. Taking the opportunity, Claire spun on her heel and landed a kick square in Nuhir chest. He choked on his breath at the impact, but dropped down to his knees, leaned back on his hands, and kicked Claire's knees out. Claire howled out in pain as she tumbled to the ground, but rolled out of the fall into a crouching position. Nuhir jumped towards her with his fists held high, but Claire used a blocking technique that Anna had taught her and kneed Nuhir in the side.

"Good job, Claire. Keep going!" Claire could vaguely hear Anna's voice in the background, but she was too focused on avoiding Nuhir's right hook. It barely missed her face as she dodged out of the way and punched him in the gut, hoping to do some damage. Nuhir grunted, but was otherwise unfazed. He rounded on her and reached out to grab her in a headlock, but she jumped backwards, barely keeping her balance. Anna had told her that the best thing to do was to use your speed to deliver fast unexpected blows. Quickly, Claire darted to Nuhir's side and gave him a quick jab, avoiding his fists again. Without stopping to slow down, Claire used her foot to hook her foot with his and trip him. With one final move, Claire used her knee to pin Nuhir's chest and down used her hands to keep his arms above his head.

A second later he disappeared and she was left alone in the ring. She was practically out of breath, but a new sense of pride seemed to fill her as she realized what she had done. She stood up and couldn't help the smile that came to her lips. The door opened and Anna came running into the cell, practically tackling the blonde to the ground.

"You did it! You said you couldn't fight, but you did it!" Anna said. Claire laughed and the two of them continued to cheer.

"You think I'm as good as the people in security?" Claire asked. Anna gave her a face and ruffled the girls hair.

"No, but you can hold your own. The security guys spent four years fighting people three times their own size." Claire shrugged.

"Who cares, I beat him! I actually beat him!" Anna laughed and hugged her.

"Yes, you did. A few more months of keeping your shape up, and practicing, you might even be able to take on me," Anna said.

"You kidding? I'll work out, but I'm going back to surgery. No offense, but this fighting stuff isn't my thing. I just like the fact that I have a fighting chance against Nuhir. This was fun though, even though I had to spend hours hearing about how excellent my brother was," Claire said, grabbing her water bottle. Anna turned a light pink and sighed.

"Sorry, I guess I get a little carried away," Anna said. Claire shrugged.

"I don't really care. Once Ryan get's out of his funk he'll be all over you," Claire said. Anna nodded and looked into Claire's eyes. They were still a little dull, but there seemed to be a small spark behind them that she couldn't explain.

"Looks like you're getting out of your funk too…" Claire paused and shrugged.

"Maybe. You coming to eat with Alex, Ryan, and I?" Anna shrugged.

"I think I'm going to do some practicing of my own. I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast though," Anna said. Claire nodded.

"Alright, have fun," Claire said, grabbing her things and heading out of the training room.

"Later," Anna muttered. The door slide shut and Anna turned around to the control panel to set up her own stimulation. Just before she entered the holo-deck, the door opened again.

"Forget something, Claire?" Anna asked without turning around. She heard a masculine chuckle and turned to face the voice.

"We don't look that much alike, do we?" Ryan asked. Anna shook her head with a smile.

"You do a bit, it's kind of scary. I just figured since-"

"Claire just left?" Ryan interjected. Anna nodded.

"Yeah, she just finished her last stimulation," Anna explained. Ryan nodded.

"How'd she do?" He inquired.

"Not too bad. Hopefully the nightmares won't be as so bad now," Anna added, wishfully. Ryan sighed, remembering the nights he stayed up helping her calm down. The dreams didn't really seem to be getting better with time, but hopefully Anna's lesson helps.

"Hopefully. What are you up to? I was going to ask you to accompany me to dinner." Ryan offered, gesturing to the door.

"I was just going to get one last session in before dinner," she told him, scratching her head nervously. She did want to go with him to dinner. Hell, she didn't mind going back to his room with him. However, she needed her stress reliever for the day as well.

"Oh. Well, would you like to spar instead of using this hunk of junk?" Ryan asked, patting the control panel for the holo-deck. Anna merely raised an eyebrow.

"Hunk of junk?" Ryan smiled and crossed his arms, leaning as the low-laying panel.

"Are you kidding me? I built my own holo-deck back home at the age of eleven and it was way better than this one," he bragged, as if building such a thing was as easy and making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Of course you're not bragging or anything," Anna added, giving Ryan a playful smirk. Ryan just shrugged.

"Of course not!" She chuckled and shrugged.

"Alright, if you think you can take me," she said confidently. Ryan simply walked over and slipped off his uniform shirt, causing Anna to suck in a breath. All the hours spent in the gym were really helping him in the muscle department. She shook her head to get rid of her thoughts and took her own shirt off, leaving her in nothing but shorts and a sports bra. Ryan let his eyes selfishly take in her Carmel colored skin before standing across from her, ready to spar.

"I'll go easy on you," he said. Anna scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to kick you ass regardless," she snapped. Before Ryan could reply, she swung a punch at him. He quickly moved out of the way and brought his stance back up. He wasn't about to hit her, but he'd deflect her hits all he could. Anna whirled around and went to kick him in the side, only to have him grab her ankle and spin her to the side. She recovered and hit his side with her elbow. He almost fell to his knees from the blow, but was recovering quickly. Anna smirked and went to put him in a headlock, only to have him grab her wrists and pulling her against him, her back to his chest. She was positive even he could feel the heat radiating from her cheeks as her felt his muscles tense around her.

"Not pulling any punches, are you?" he asked, his breath tickling her ear. A shiver raked through her body and she quickly pulled herself out of the grip and kneed him away from her.

"You're holding back," she said.

"I'm not about to punch you in the face," he said. She rolled her eyes and went to kick him once more. He deflected the kick and continued to hold a defensive stance.

"Come on, Ryan. One hit, I doubt you'll land one on me," she said, taunting him. Ryan paused then shrugged.

"Suit yourself," he said. Anna went to punch him once more, but he simply darted away from it. He then threw a punch her way, planning on making contact with her shoulder. Instead, she grabbed his arm and attempted to bring him to the ground. Ryan, however, reached out and pulled her feet out from under her, causing her to fall on the ground next to him. Before she could get to her feet, he rolled on top of her and pinned her to the ground, his waist touching hers, and his face inches away from hers.

"I think I win," he whispered. Anna nodded, but said nothing as she tried to regain her breath. With every intake of air, her chest brushed against his. She forced herself to hold back a moan as she noticed the hungry look in Ryan's eyes as he stared down at her, waiting for her to say something.

"Fine. But I want a rematch," she demanded. Ryan raised an eyebrow as he tried to regain his own breath, but didn't move from his position above her.

"Like right now?" He asked between breathes. Anna nodded.

"You were holding back and it's hardly fair for me to hit a man whose fighting like a lady," Anna said with a chuckle. Ryan shook his head.

"No, I think kicking your ass once a day is good enough for me. However, I believe you owe me a prize," he told her. Anna scoffed at him, still very aware how close their half naked bodies were. She kept fighting the urge to lean up and capture his lips, but shook those thoughts away. They were just sparring.

"A prize for what?" She asked. Ryan smiled down at her.

"A prize for winning, of course," he explained to her. Anna rolled her eyes.

"We didn't agree to this. Besides, I have nothing to give you," she counter. Ryan shook his head slightly as he leaned down until he was nose to nose with Anna. She felt her breathing catch in her throat as his eye became half-lidded.

"I can think of one thing…" He trailed off, his gentle grey eyes searching her face for any signs of disgust or fear. When he saw none, he slowly closed the gap between them. Her breath seemed to leave her the moment she felt his lips on hers. Her heart was practically pounding out of her chest, and her skin was on fire. The feeling of his soft lips moving slowly against hers was the only thing on her mind as she eagerly kissed back.

Ryan let go of her wrists and let one arm support his weight, so he wasn't suffocating her. His free hand traveled down her arm and ran through her thick dark hair before traveling down and tracing her sides. The feeling of her muscles clenching under his touch almost made him groan, instead he deepened the kiss by tentatively letting his tongue invade her mouth.

At this movement she did groan, and ached her back slightly, causing him to give a small moan of his own. Anna let her own hands tangle in his dirty blonde hair, and she tried to pull him as close as possible. He snaked and arm around her back and pulled her frame closer to his. After a moment for their tongues battling for dominance, Ryan pulled away to catch his breath. Anna also took her own deep breath, but kept her eyes closed. This had to be a dream.

"Ryan…" she breathed. He sighed let his eyes gaze of her face.

"Next time, I'm definitely not holding back." Anna's eyes opened and she was met with his smoldering grey eyes.

"I…" Anna couldn't find the words to express what she was thinking, she simply was struck by his gaze.

"I'm sorry I didn't do that a long time ago," he told her, his thumb tracing her jaw. Finally Anna found the words to speak.

"You'll have time to make it up to me later," she said in a slightly seductive tone. Ryan rested his forehead against hers and smiled.

"Oh, I plan on it."

* * *

"Okay, where the heck is Ryan?" Claire demanded as she dropped her tray on the table. Alex paid no attention to her as he continued to stare longingly to the other side of the room where Liam was eating his dinner while talking to Rupert. Claire glared at Alex for a whole five minutes before the brunette turned to look at her. His gaze never wavered once from Liam's form, his eyes sad and filled with remorse. Claire felt horrible for what had happened, but there was nothing to be done except mass amounts of apologizing. On both their parts.

"What?" He asked innocently. She merely smiled back and shook her head.

"I was just trying to see how long it took before you realized what I was doing," she told him with a childlike grin. Alex gave her a half-smile and shook his head.

"I'm sorry. I'm kind of out of it today…" He trailed off and gave Liam a broken hearted glance. Claire sighed.

"I'm in a good-ish mood right now. Can we have happy talk and discuss where the hell my brother is?" Claire demanded. Alex nodded.

"I ran into him on my way here. He said he was going to walk Anna to dinner and meet up with us here," he explained. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Why do I have the feeling that they're having sex on the holo-deck floor?" She mumbled to herself. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Jeez, he moves fast," he muttered.

"His girlfriend was a whore, I'm not sure it's that difficult to move on from that," Claire said. Alex shrugged.

"I guess not, I wouldn't know." Claire shrugged and began eating her dinner. She paused when she got a glance of Jim and Sophie currently eating together. It was quite apparent that Jim's group was not a fan of her, and she was intruding. The sight made her shake her head, while also have a small pang in her chest. She glanced back up at Alex, who was looking back at Liam.

"Jesus, we're a mess," she muttered. Alex scoffed.

"Understatement of the year. At this rate, I'm going to need to go to therapy soon. The gym is just not covering it," he muttered.

"Seems to be working wonders for me. I think I'm almost over everything. Well, except for sleeping with you, that'll take a while," she muttered.

"Thanks, I'm sorry it was so traumatizing for you. You seemed to be enjoying it while it was happening," Alex snapped. Claire shrugged.

"I'm not saying it was bad… just… not the best I've had. You're too used to fucking guys, you can't be that rough with chicks, unless they like it like that." Alex shot her a look and practically slammed his head on the table.

"I'm not fucking anyone until I can fuck Liam. I love him," Alex cried.

"I miss him too," Claire muttered.

"I've practically begged him, but he still won't talk to me. I don't know what to do," Alex mumbled. Claire paused for a minute before standing up. She didn't spare Alex another glance as she walked up to the table Liam was sitting at, and cleared her throat. Liam looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"Claire?" he asked, his tone slightly condescending.

"I'm a whore, I am well aware, and everyone in sickbay is aware. But I swear to God Liam, I did not mean to hurt you. What happened between me and Alex was a mistake, and we both know it is. I was hurt and fragile, and I grabbed onto the nearest person I could. I'm pretty sure I would've fucked Rupert, and he's a whore too." Rupert raised an eyebrow.

"Hey!" Claire shot him a look.

"Not talking to you!" She turned back to Liam and sighed. "I'm not asking you to forgive me, nor Alex. I just want you to know that I'm sorry and I'm not going to beg you to forgive me. If you really want to, you will. I mean, it's be cool if you did, but I'd understand if you didn't. I just need to find a fashion sense." Liam was silent as she spoke and looked down when she was finished.

"Claire… I just…" Claire nodded.

"Yeah, I figured as much. Right, well I'm going to head back over to my table with your ex," Claire told him and turned to leave, but Liam grabbed her hand. Claire paused and turned back around to see tears welling up in his eyes.

"Can we talk about this somewhere else?" He asked in a weak voice. Not knowing what else to say, Claire nodded. Without a word to Rupert, Liam rose from the table and led Claire through the many halls of the _Enterprise_. After a few minutes, she realized that he was leading them to sickbay. Despite how much they all hated it, it's where they spent most of their time and it was the only place that felt like home to all of them, even if they hated to admit it. Finally, they arrived in sickbay and Liam lead her over to an empty patient room. Claire slowly closed the door behind them and turned around to Liam.

"I love you, Liam, but I'm not that much of a whore," she said, trying to break the silence. Liam rubbed away a few tears rolling down his face and gave a throaty chuckle.

"I miss him. I can't believe what he did… what you did… I've never hurt like this before. Everyone thought it wasn't going to last because perhaps Alex was really straight or that I was too much of a man-whore. I guess the Alex part is true…" Claire shook her head and sat opposite to her gay friend.

"He didn't sleep with me because he wanted a woman or he didn't love you anymore. He did it because we couldn't control ourselves. And I know for a fact that Alex still loves you with all his heart and would do anything to get you back," Claire told him, trying to stick up for Alex. At this point, he was probably hurting just as much as she was, if not more. Liam just shook his head.

"I can't, Claire. I don't know. I mean, if Colleen was still here, how easily would Ryan forgive her," Liam said, trying to find an example to show his feelings. Claire sighed.

"Okay, well here's the difference between Colleen and Alex. Alex was honest with you. He didn't wait to tell you and he's not lying to you about it. Colleen was prepared to continue to live her whole life with the lie of her cheating. You have to give Alex credit for that," Claire told him. The fact that he would even compare Alex to the whore bothered her to no end.

"He still did it." Claire ran a hand through her hair and took a step toward him.

"Look, I want you to forgive him, but I can't make you. I can ask you to forgive me. I know I was wrong, and saying that I was in a bad place would be an excuse. Please, I can't stand everyone being at odds. I just became friends with my brother again, and I want to be friends with you too." Liam was silent as he thought it over.

"I just… I need a bit more time. I want to forgive you, I really do… but… I can't right now," he said. Claire nodded.

"Fair enough."

* * *

Ryan sat down at his desk and picked up another folder. Despite the amount of work on his desk, he couldn't bring himself to feel upset about it. He had just made out with the sexiest girl in security. He still smiled at the thought and began to work. His door beeped and he didn't bother looking up.

"Come in," he said. The door opened and he heard the person walked in. After a minute of silence, he looked up and almost snarled.

"Ryan, I just…" Rupert trailed off. Ryan stood up and glared at him.

"What do you want?" Ryan snapped.

"I want to apologize," Rupert said.

"A little late, aren't you?" Ryan hissed. Rupert took a step forward.

"Look dude, I tried to get her to tell you. I knew it was a mistake the moment it happened. We both were drunk and it just happened. Please, man… you have to believe me," Rupert stated. Ryan clenched his fists.

"You should've told me, regardless of what she said. You knew better and still fucked me over. Damnit, Rupert…"

"I know, alight. I fucked up bad, but I'd like us to get over it. Because believe it or not, you were my best friend." The two men stood in silence as the heat of the argument suspended over their heads. Finally, Ryan broke the silence.

"I can't do this, Rupert. Next to Colleen, you've hurt me the most. I trusted you and you betrayed my trust. How long would your lie have lasted if Colleen hadn't died? Would our child be in it's teenage years before I found out I wasn't it's real father? You can't just say sorry and expect to me to forgive you!" Ryan snapped, slamming his folder down on the table. Rupert flinched and nodded.

"I understand, but-" Rupert tried.

"No Rupert, you don't understand. Don't even pretend you do," Ryan snapped, not even letting him finish. Rupert hung his head in shame as Ryan's cold stare made his heart drop. Rupert sighed before looking up into Ryan's eyes.

"I'll make this up, somehow. I'll win back your trust. We were too damn good of friends to let this go," Rupert told him, his stare determined and focused. Ryan shook his head.

"I don't care what you do," he stated simply in a dry voice. After a moment Rupert turned around and left the office, leaving Ryan alone to steam.

* * *

Anna gave a sigh as she sat down across from Claire. Of course last night she had finally gotten what she had been wishing for, and she was over thinking it. Maybe he was just using her? Did he like her, or was he just looking for a quick lay? She shook the thoughts from her head and began to eat her breakfast. She looked up from her pancakes to Claire's fruit salad and watched as the blonde held up a kiwi.

"I hate this crap," she muttered. Anna shrugged.

"At least you are eating," she pointed out. Claire nodded.

"Yeah, last night's nightmare wasn't too bad. I didn't wake up screaming. Definitely brings back an appetite," Claire said, putting the kiwi in a napkin and stabbing a grape with her fork.

"You're still having them?" Claire nodded absentmindedly and popped the grape in her mouth.

"So, what's up with you and Ryan?" She asked. Anna's cheeks turned a light pink and she shrugged.

"I'm not quite sure. I don't know if he's using me or he actually likes me…" Anna said softly. Claire shrugged and took a sip of her coffee.

"Just ask him. He's pretty straight forward if you just talk to him," Claire told her.

"He could also lie." Claire let our a small snort and shook her head.

"Oh no, Ryan doesn't lie. He might not tell you everything, but he doesn't lie. It's a little scary," Claire said. Anna pushed her tray forward and crossed her arms.

"Maybe I should. I'd hate to be used and loosed." Claire nodded and looked up.

"Here's your chance," she said. Before Anna could reply, Claire grabbed her things and left, leaving someone to drop their tray in her place.

"Hey, where is she going?" Ryan asked. Anna glared at his sister and turned back to her food.

"Loser…" she muttered. Ryan turned around to follow her gaze and saw Claire wave from the table she was now sitting at. He waved back and turned back to Anna.

"Do I want to know?" He asked. Anna just shook her head and smiled.

"Probably not. So how's life?" She asked, taking a bite out of her food. Ryan shrugged as he looked down on his tray.

"Life was great until I had a run in with Rupert last night," he admitted as he began to push the eggs on his tray around with his fork. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Is he okay?" She asked, unsure of how to handle the situation. Ryan's gaze intensified into a glare.

"Do I look like I care?" He snapped. Anna glared back at him.

"I just meant if you smashed his face in or not," she told him, angry at his sudden mood swing. Ryan scratched the back of his head.

"I'm sorry. No, I was a good boy," he said with a half-hearted smile. He realized his fault the moment Anna replied and scolded himself for it. The whole situation left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Good. Are you two going to make up?" Anna inquired, her tone still harsh. She just wanted to spend a peaceful breakfast with her crush, but of course all the crap from Colleen still managed to find a way to piss off Ryan, even now over a month later.

"He seems pretty determined, but I really don't care. It still hurts…" He trailed off as he appeared to slip deep in though.

"Well yeah. And it's probably going to for a long time, but you can't keep snapping at me about it. Or blame Claire. Or never forgive Rupert. Just move on with your life!" Ryan shot her a look.

"Easy for you to say, you're not going through the same pain as I am!" he snapped. Anna gripped her fork.

"Fine, I'm not. Jesus, Ryan… you don't have to bite my head off," Anna said. Ryan sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't mean too… it's just… hard," he mumbled. She shrugged.

"Life's hard, it's always going to be. Sometimes you just got to suck up and deal," she said, her tone a bit harsher than intended. He nodded and they sat in silence. Anna took the silence as a time to think things over. If he was still in pain over Colleen, what did last night mean to him? The more she thought about it, the more she felt as if it was meant to be a one time thing. Maybe he really was using her. She looked to be turning into the rebound girl.

"So… are you going to the hologram simulation tonight?" Ryan asked, his cheeks turning the lightest shade of pink. He previous thoughts came to mind, and she shook her head.

"No. I have graveyard shift tonight," she said. Ryan furrowed his eyebrows.

"I don't remember assigning you graveyard shift," he muttered.

"No, but I traded shifts with Kevin, Kevin Fisher. His wife, Samantha, has a doctors appointment, he wanted to be there with her," Anna said. Ryan nodded.

"Oh, is she sick or something?" Anna shook her head.

"No… it's a different type of appointment."

"What type of appointment would he need to be there for?" Anna sighed and crossed her arms.

"It's an ultrasound… Samantha is pregnant." Ryan's face fell and he continued to move his food around on his plate.

"Oh… I see," he muttered. After another moment Anna put her fork down.

"Hey, about last night…" Ryan looked up, his eyes meeting hers.

"Yeah… um…" Anna sighed.

"Look, I just, I don't want to be a rebound girl. I know you're hurting with Colleen and, you did love her, I understand that. I really like you, but you're kind of a mess. I know you're pulling yourself together and I totally get that but-"

"You're talking too fast, Anna… I'm pretty sure you even threw a couple of Spanish words in there," Ryan said. Anna sighed and calmed herself down.

"I don't want to be used." Ryan's eyes met hers and they sat in silence for a long moment. Tentatively, Ryan reached forward and took her hand in his.

"I don't want to use you. I liked you before Colleen died, I just… I'm acting on it now. I can understand if you are frustrated, but I'm trying. It's just… hard." Anna smiled and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"I like you too. We'll figure it out, together." Ryan smiled and kissed the top of her hand.

"I hope so…"

* * *

"Here… you have an appointment with Samantha Fisher, and then doctor McCoy asked if you would give one of the new doctors a lesson in stitching. Apparently one of them is falling a bit behind on their surgical skills. You just need to set them up on the simulator, and over see them," Nurse Chapel said. Claire grabbed the files and looked them over.

"I guess they don't teach it like they used to. Which doctor?" Claire asked.

"Uh, Doctor Rogers." Claire put the folder down and shot a look at Nurse Chapel.

"You've got to be kidding me. Can't Alex teach her?" Nurse Chapel shook her head.

"No, Alex isn't on shift, he took the day off. He's pulling regular and graveyard shift tomorrow." Claire sighed and ran a hand over her face.

"Dear lord… shoot me." Before Nurse Chapel could reply, the sound of a high pitched squeal entered the room and Claire glanced over by the door. She gave a sigh as she saw Jim quickly give a wink in Sophie's direction. Sophie giggled and walked up to the medical station, just as Nurse Chapel left. Claire gave a sigh and grabbed Samantha Fisher's file, making sure that she took note of important allergies and medical history.

"He's crazy… you know…" Sophie said. Claire looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?" Sophie smiled.

"Jimmy. I mean, he's hot to start with, but the things he can do with that body, it's amazing. You know, that one thing he does with his tongue. God, it's amazing!" Sophie said. Claire scoffed and crossed her arms before speaking.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't under the impression that we were friends," Claire said, rather coldly. Sophie raised an eyebrow.

"Well… I just-"

"Listen, the fact that you are fucking my ex-boyfriend doesn't make us friends. It makes me think that you're stupider than I thought you were. If I was the longest relationship he's ever had, and he picked you up not even a week after we broke up, what does that say about you? Really, honey… get out of it before you get yourself hurt," Claire said. Her words were cold and she was well aware how harsh she was. Sophie just stared at the doctor, her eyebrows matted in confusion. After another minute, Claire closed the file on Samantha Fisher and began walking away. She stopped to turn around and face Sophie.

"Oh, and that thing he does with his tongue. I taught him that," Claire said, turning toward Liam. Liam just shook his head.

"That was… cold." Claire shrugged and opened the file back up.

"She's stupid. It's never going to last," Claire said. Liam shrugged.

"Still, no one said anything to you when you were dating him," Liam reminded her. The statement caused Claire to sigh and sit on 'their' medical bed. Liam sighed and walked over, standing next to the bed and watching her try and bury herself in her chart.

"Claire… you should apologize," Liam said softly. Claire pressed her lips together and sighed.

"I'm not going to. She should know better. We broke up barely a month ago, and she just goes and does the nasty with him? Come on! Does she have no respect for the girl code?" Liam sighed and sat next to her. After their talk, he had thought long and hard about what Claire said, and though he probably would always hold it against her for sleeping with Alex, he missed her too much to care. Maybe soon they could go back fully to the way things were. Until then, he was going to grin and bear it.

"I mean, it's almost whorish to go after another girls man after they just broke up."

"Except, Kirk isn't your man," Liam pointed out. Claire paused and nodded.

"Yeah… but I just…" She trailed off and ran a hand over her face.

"You're still in love with him," He stated. She frowned and nodded slowly. She looked at him, her grey eyes filled with sadness.

"I'm still in love with him," she agreed. Liam placed a comforting hand on Claire's shoulder and pulled her into a hug. Claire said nothing as they sat in peace. A few minutes later, Sophie approached the two doctors.

"Dr. Conaway, Samantha Fisher is here to see you. And Liam, some man named Oliver is asking for you," Sophie told them before walking away. Claire furrowed her eyebrows.

"How come she calls me Dr. Conaway and calls you Liam?" Claire mumbled as they rose to her feet. Liam shrugged.

"Maybe because she's dating your ex-boyfriend, remember? And I'm the nice doctor that all the interns get along with," Liam told her with a smile. Claire rolled her eyes and gave him a pleading look.

"If you're the intern pal, then why don't you teach Sophie how to stitch correctly," she suggest. Liam shook his head.

"Um, no. Sorry. That's your job. Besides, Oliver is here to see me," he told her as he moved towards the entrance to sickbay. A disheveled looking Oliver stood in the doorway, his hair a mess and his uniform looking very dirty. Claire peeked into the other room.

"Actually, I think I'd rather take Sophie over Oliver and his Mr. Ruffles any day," she added as she grabbed Samantha's chart and headed over to meet with the pregnant women and her husband. Liam straightened out his shirt as he approached Oliver.

"Hey buddy, how you been?" Liam asked with a forced smile as Oliver's face lit up.

"I'm so glad I found you! Rupert said you probably wouldn't want to talk to me, but I'm okay now. Counseling and meds. Lots of it. I'm almost a fully functioning person now!" Oliver declared. Liam pressed his lips together and nodded.

"Clearly. So what can I do for you, Oliver?" Liam asked, grabbing a random patient chart to pretend that he was very busy. Oliver didn't seem to notice as he held up his index finger.

"One. It's been one year since all the shit on the Berlin went down. Mr. Ruffles has been keeping track. We're on good terms now. A lot can happen in a year. Like the she-bitch, Colleen," Oliver declared. Liam raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you had a thing for her?" He asked. Oliver shrugged.

"With the knockers she had… oh wait, you're a penis lover. Never mind. Anyway, Mr. Ruffles suggested that we have a party!" Oliver explained.

"Oliver, has your consular talked to you about Mr. Ruffles?" Liam asked in a cautious tone of voice. No one ever really knew what might set Oliver off, but he wasn't going to chance it.

"She told me to make up with him and to stop getting into fights with him. She threw the term schizophrenic around a lot, but Mr. Ruffles told me that's another word for awesome. Anyway, PARTY! You, me, Rupert, and Ryan. Colleen would have been invited, but Satan called her home early," Oliver said with a smile.

"Sounds like a sausage fest to me. But, I suppose… good luck with getting Ryan and Rupert to get along," Liam said.

"No fear, Mr. Ruffles shall talk to them. They were such good friends before the she-devil came into play. Now it's just us guys. Karma has stabilized the universe once more," Oliver said, a peaceful look on his face. Liam just blinked a few times at the man before pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Right… well, I suppose I'll join. When is it?" Liam asked.

"Tomorrow night, on deck five. Don't be late, and no dates or chicks or anything, just us guys," Oliver said.

"Sure, no problem," Liam replied, checking over the chart once more.

"Dude, this is going to be such a schizophrenic party! I'm excited!" Liam just pressed his lips together to keep himself from laughing.

"Yeah, uh… you know, I think I need to talk to Claire about… um, doctor stuff. I'll see you tomorrow, Oliver," Liam said. Oliver smiled and continued to stare at him. Liam looked on the counter, where a small group of vitamins prescribed to Samantha Fisher were, and grabbed them before walking over to the curtain where Claire was. He opened it and stepped in, making sure Oliver saw him.

"So… is the baby okay?" A woman asked. Liam glanced at her and her husband, who were looking at Claire expectantly. Both of them looked at Liam when he walked in, and he looked to Claire.

"Here, some vitamins for your patient." Claire raised an eyebrow and grabbed them before turning back to the woman, who looked quite pregnant, even in Liam's eyes.

"Mr. and Mrs. Fisher, your baby seems quite healthy. However, I would urge you, seeing as you are almost six months into the pregnancy, to think about transferring to earth, or a space station until it is born. I have your vitamins here, and I'll monitor your baby weekly to make sure everything is progressing fine. If you were to go into labor onboard the _Enterprise, _I'll be available to deliver it." Kevin Fisher smiled and shook her hand.

"Thank you, Doctor Conaway, we appreciate it," he said. Claire nodded and went to leave, but Liam stopped her.

"Wait, the doors didn't open," he whispered. Claire raised an eyebrow.

"Are you on drugs?" she asked.

"Oliver is here, and I have the distinct feeling that he won't leave me alone," Liam hissed. Claire rolled her eyes and tuned toward the Fishers.

"I apologize, we'll just be a second," she said.

"Of course," Samantha said, looking at the two with a amused expression. Claire peaked out of the curtain and rolled her eyes.

"He's not even here. Come on, for that you're helping me teach doctor slut how to stitch," Claire snapped. Liam looked around, not seeing the man in sight anywhere, then turned to Claire.

"I swear he was here!" Claire paused an raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe you should be the one taking drugs," she said.

* * *

"Good friend Ryan!" Ryan looked up from his paperwork to see Oliver stroll into the security deck. Anna looked up from her desk and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey Oliver. What can I help you with?" Ryan asked, shoving his paperwork to the side. He was surprised to see the young man and more surprised to see Oliver's messy attire. The last he had heard, Rupert had forced his friend to see a counselor. Apparently, the counselor wasn't working.

"I have come to invite you to a bros only party in celebration of being off that damned Berlin for over a year!" Oliver declared, jumping up and down in front of Ryan's desk. Ryan ran a hand through his hair and watched Oliver's behavior.

"Sure, that sounds great. So who else is invited?" He asked. Oliver clapped his hands excitedly.

"You, me, Mr. Ruffles, the gay one, and the British one," Oliver told him. Ryan raised an eyebrow as a displeased look crossed his face.

"The British one? Rupert?" Ryan asked, trying to hold back a snarl. Anna appeared behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Oliver watched the display and smiled.

"You replaced knockers fast," Oliver stated. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, a bit of her Hispanic accent showing through.

"Nothing, just that you have a nice rack…" She crossed her arms and shot him a look. She kept her mouth shut, since Ryan stood up to address the man.

"Oliver, I appreciate the offer, but I just… being around Rupert would not be a good idea," he said.

"Come on, we all got through the _Berlin_ together. You guys can get through this together. Not to mention he helped you through the whole thing with you and what's his face… Griffin? Yeah, him. Mr. Ruffles thinks that you should just realized that people make mistakes and Rupert is sorry. I think you should listen to Mr. Ruffles…" Ryan sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't know… maybe. I'll have to think it over," he said. Oliver nodded.

"Okay, well… when you figure it out, just let me or Mr. Ruffles know. Bye Ryan! Bye new knockers!" Anna shot him a look as he left, then turned toward Ryan.

"Who the hell is Mr. Ruffles?" she asked.

"You know… I'm not sure. Could be a panda for all I know," Ryan said. Anna shook her head and grabbed a couple of files off of his desk.

"Well, I think you should go. It's up to you, but Rupert was your best friend, and Oliver… or Mr. Ruffles, was right. People do make mistakes," she said. Ryan sighed and nodded.

"I know, I know…" He muttered. She gave him a small smile and kissed his cheek.

"I need to go back to work. Are you going to head to dinner?" she asked. Ryan looked over his desk to see that most of his work was done for the day.

"Yeah, I think so. I think Claire is working a bit late today, so it'll probably just be me and Alex until you get there," Ryan told her, standing up from his desk. Anna nodded and turned to head back to her desk, but Ryan grabbed her arm and pulled her close for a hug.

"Oliver was right, you do have a nice rack," he whispered in her ear. Anna turned around and gave him a light slap on the chest before turning to go back to work. Ryan started chuckling as he walked out of the security deck.

* * *

"Evening, Alex," Ryan said as he dropped his tray on the table and fully took in the sad sight of Alex Chambers. His hair was greasy, probably meaning he hadn't showered in awhile. His clothes were wrinkled, probably meaning he hadn't bothered to change in a few days. Black bags hung under his eyes, showing that he hadn't sleep for awhile.

"It's evening already?" He asked in a airy voice. His eyes were dull as he stared down at the steak on his plate.

"Dude, you need to clean yourself up. This is just… sad," Ryan said. Alex sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"Easy for you to say, you didn't cheat on the best thing that's happened to you," Alex muttered. Ryan frowned and took a bite of his dinner.

"Look, I'm sure Liam will eventually forgive you. He forgave Claire, eventually he is going to forgive you," Ryan said.

"Yeah, but Claire wasn't dating Liam. God, I'm so stupid," Alex muttered.

"Well, if you want him to forgive you, you have to start by cleaning yourself up. No offense dude, but you smell…" Alex sighed.

"You're probably right," he said. Ryan nodded and watched at Jim walked in, with Sophie walking behind him, crying her eyes out.

"What do you think that's about?" Ryan asked. Alex turned toward them and sighed.

"Broke up with her, about time too…" Alex said. Ryan shook his head and turned back to his food. Eventually he looked up and pressed his lips together.

"So… Oliver thinks that I should just forgive Rupert so we can be friends again," Ryan said. Alex shrugged.

"Why not, you guys seemed like good enough friends." Ryan took a sip of his water and shrugged.

"We were, but he slept with Colleen, now things are different," he said. Alex took a bite of his steak.

"Liam and Claire are friends, she slept with me, and they are still friends." Ryan paused and thought it over.

"I guess you're right," he muttered. A tray was set down next to Ryan and he smiled up at Anna.

"Right about what?" She asked, sitting down and taking a bite of her quesadilla.

"Alex said that I should forgive Rupert, I think he's right." Anna stopped and shot him a glare.

"I've been telling you the same thing for weeks, and now you listen?" she asked. Ryan frowned.

"I'm sorry… it just sort of… came to me," he said. Anna rolled her eyes and put a bit of hot sauce on her food.

"Whatever. I'm not even going to bother trying to figure you out anymore," she said, defeated. Ryan sighed and he snaked an arm around her waist.

"You were right," he stated simply. Anna stopped what she was doing to look at him.

"Well… yeah, I mean. Yeah." She didn't know what else to say. Ryan smiled.

"Claire always told me that telling a woman that she was right would fix anything," he stated. Alex snorted into his food while Anna furrowed her eyebrows.

"And here I thought it came from the goodness of your heart. I see I was wrong about that," she snapped, but it was in a playful tone. Ryan just smiled and kissed her cheek, ending the argument.

* * *

"Claire!" Liam came back from dinner with a smile plastered across his face. Claire looked up from shutting down the simulation station.

"What's up?" She asked as Liam paused to catch his breath.

"Jim… broke… up… whore…" He sputtered, trying to form a complete sentence. Claire raised an eyebrow.

"Take a deep breath and try again," she instructed him. Liam nodded and complied. After a moment, he tried again.

"Jim broke up with the whore at dinner. She's balling her eyes out right now," Liam told her excitedly. Claire folded her arms.

"And why do I care again?" Liam frowned.

"So you can go after him… right?" he asked. She rolled her eyes and finished shutting down the simulation and walked over to the medical station.

"No, not right." Liam raised an eyebrow.

"Not right," he repeated.

"Not right. After what he said to me, it's obvious he wants nothing more to do with me romantically. He want's to be friends," Claire said, grabbed a charts and looking it over.

"But… I thought you loved him," Liam muttered.

"You love Alex, but you aren't with him," she pointed out. Liam frowned and sat down on the counter, next to where Claire was standing.

"What if he came running in here begging for you to come back?" he asked.

"He won't."

"What if he did?"

"But he won't," Claire said, slamming the chart on the counter.

"You would forgive him," Liam said. Claire glared at the man and began walking away. "Claire, I'm sorry!"

"No, this is ridiculous! You weren't there when he said all those things to me. Calling me a liability and saying that if it wasn't for me he wouldn't be dealing with all that bull-shit. Fuck him, he's an ass…" Liam paused and looked into her eyes.

"You still love him…" he stated. Claire frowned and ran a hand through her hair.

"So what… he obviously stopped loving me a long time ago." Liam frowned and watched as she quickly went to check on another patient, leaving him and the argument alone.

* * *

"So… are you going?" Claire asked the next morning. Ryan sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know…" he said. Claire bit into her apple and thought it over.

"I think you should. It's been some time, we need him to start sitting here," Claire said. Ryan pushed away his breakfast and watched his sister.

"Why?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Because, it's fun talking to him sometimes. He's a pig, and is probably going to go to hell… but he's fun to talk to," Claire said. Ryan shook his head.

"Well… we'll see. I have a few hours to decide still," he said.

"Unless Mr. Ruffles comes and tries to eat you, of course," Claire chuckled. Ryan nodded.

"Do you even know what Mr. Ruffles is?" He asked.

"I always thought of him as a ferret with a pair of glasses and a little blue vest," she told him with a smile. Ryan shrugged.

"Perhaps. I was thinking something like a space cowboy or something," Ryan told her with a dreamy look on his face. Claire shook her head.

"No way he'd be something as cool as that. I'm sticking with a ferret thing. You should ask him at the party tonight," Claire suggested. Ryan nodded.

"Yeah, I probably should," he mused.

"So, you're going?" she asked. He sighed and shrugged.

"I guess so, I'm tired of all the tension on this ship," he said. She nodded and took another bite of her apple.

"Tell me about it. Though, if you and Rupert make up, then we just have to wait for Alex and Liam to get back together," she said. He nodded and watched her carefully.

"What about Jim?" he asked. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"What about him?" she asked, her tone harsher than she wanted to admit.

"Are you going to talk to him?" She sighed and took another bite of her apple.

"Nope. Why? Are you going to try and convince me that I should go back to him?" He shook his head.

"I want you to do what you think it right. In my opinion, he's not worth your time. You should find someone else," he said. She sighed.

"Yeah, but we all don't have our own personal Anna to fall back on," she pointed out. He paused and raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She frowned.

"I'm not insulting you or Anna, I wanted you guys together since the beginning. I'm just saying, you always had feelings with Anna, so you just… it's easier for you to move on. I don't have anyone else who I have feelings for. It's always been just Jim," she said. Ryan frowned and gave a heavy sigh.

"Well, maybe you should start looking somewhere else," he said. She shrugged and stood up.

"I gotta go, work and all," she said. He nodded and looked down at his food. She paused and pressed her lips together. "Hey… I didn't mean to offend you-"

"You didn't. Don't worry, Claire," he said. She nodded and kissed his cheek.

"See you later," she said, turning around and walking off.

* * *

Jim Kirk gave a sigh as he began his daily paper-work. He was so used to putting it all off until the deadline, but as of recently, he had taken to actually doing it when he had to. He supposed it was easier to bury himself in his work, rather than admit that he had made a horrible mistake and deal with the pain.

He gave a sigh as he picked up another stack of incoming messages. It was his job to give the okay, after security gave clearance that they were safe. He never had to do this until the whole thing with Riley, which caused Starfleet to put up a whole new set of regulations. Normally he would push most of it off to Spock, or even Chekov, but out of boredom, he decided to actually sign off on them. Of course, he did not actually read the message, he could if he really wanted to, but he didn't bother.

He paused before looking at them and took a glance at the golden trinket on his desk. He did not yet know why he tortured himself with keeping it out in the open. Every time his gaze landed on it he was reminded of the night she gave it to him. His heart ached upon the memory. He gave a sigh and placed a file over the pocket watch and went back to his work. He went through twenty files before one caught his interest.

_To: Claire Conaway_

_From: Adrienne Conaway_

His mind seemed to stop upon seeing it. He knew for a fact that Claire and her mother were not on good terms, so it struck him as a surprise to see her mother sending her mail. He let his head rest on his knuckles and looked at the message. He curiosity was beginning to get the better of him, even though he knew he had no right to be curious. Claire was no longer his girlfriend, but that didn't stop him from caring.

He had tried to distract himself, even going so far as to try and go after another girl. Sophie was a nice girl, she was determined, and she was fun, sexually at least. However, she was not Claire. Her being nice only went so far, and her determination rarely went further than how much time she could spend with him. As for how fun she was, it only fun for a while. He knew he had to end the short fling when he called out Claire's name in the middle of their fun.

Sophie, being the naïve girl that she was, ignored it and tried to continue the relationship. Jim couldn't. He knew that it was more than wrong to continue to see a girl, when he had a different one on his mind. So he ended it, and decided it was best just to focus on work. Since it seemed like the only girl on his mind for a while, would be the only girl he let go.

He gave a heavy sigh as he looked back to the file. He could open it without her ever knowing, but then he would know. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. As long as he didn't say anything to her, she never had to know. It's not like he would be in a position to talk to her anytime soon. He gave a sigh and opened up the file.

_Claire,_

_Your father and I were quite disappointed when we heard your relationship with Captain Kirk had reached it's end. We had hoped you would have been able to keep at least one relationship with a respectable man. Of course, we expected that such a thing would occur, so thankfully, we have a solution for you._

_In about six months time, you shall turn twenty-four, far past the right age to take a husband. We understand that you need time to go through your rebellion, and that you must experience Starfleet until your rebellious streak is through. However, when you have finished your streak, we have a suitor for you._

_Troy Brooks, a fine young man. He is the same age as you, a few months younger, but he is a good man. He is currently traveling to a space station in order to procure business for his father. I have received word that you shall reach the same station at the same time, and have cleverly set a meeting between the two of you._

_Claire, I must urge you that you are the sole benefactor in the will of your father and I. However, you shall not received a single penny of such dowry, until a ring is on your finger, and a grandchild in my arms. So, please, meet with this man, and try not to screw up your chance. Of course, once you decide you wish to marry him, your father and I have a lovely home for you not far from Troy's work. Of course, you will be expected to drop out of Starfleet, but that is a matter for later. Please try and make this work._

_As always, Your mother_

Jim practically slammed the message down on his desk as he finished reading it. That devil woman was going to take Claire away. No, that man was going to take her away. Take her away from the _Enterprise,_ from Ryan, from him. He gave a heavy sigh as he tried to collect his thoughts.

He could not try and let this effect him. He had initially broken up with her. Of course, she had kissed that doctor, but he could've easily forgiven her for that. Especially in the state she was in. He was more mad at himself more than anything. He had let his pain and anger at Riley get the better of him, and instead of blaming himself, he blamed Claire. So, instead of trying to help her, and work through everything, he had hurt her even more.

Perhaps it was better this way. Maybe she could find someone else and be happy. She wouldn't have to worry about being kidnapped by his enemies, nor the man choosing between his ship and her. She would have a man who would love her more and more everyday, and be there for her when she was broken. God, he wanted to be that man. He wanted to be able to choose her over everything else, to love her more and more everyday like he had the past six months, and to be there and fix her up when she was broken. Yet, he gave up the chance.

_"Captain, your presences is requested on the bridge,_" a voice called. He snapped out of his thought process and gave a sigh.

"I'll be right there," he said, putting his paper work down and leaving the room.

* * *

Ryan ran a hand through his hair as he waited for the lift to reach deck 5. He had only been there once or twice, but understood that it was supposedly like a bar. A few people were regulars, but most people waited till shore leave to get drunk. With reluctance, Ryan stepped out of the lift as it stopped on his floor. Mechanically, he navigated his ways through the halls until he stopped outside the doorway to deck 5.

"Glad to see you could make it." Ryan whirled around and came face to face with the last person he'd wanted to talk to that night.

"I'm not here for you," he stated, walking into the bar area where the others were waiting. Rupert sighed and followed.

"Well, it's not my party. It was Oliver's idea," Rupert said, mostly just stating random facts. He was hoping that maybe Ryan was here to make peace, but he was obviously wrong. Ryan ignored the hurt in the British man's voice as he approached the table where Liam and Oliver were seated.

"YOU BOTH MADE IT! Well, I expected Rupert to. I would've sucked on his big toe until he did. But Ryan, you never told Mr. Ruffles if you were coming or not, so I wasn't sure," Oliver explained as he gestured for the two men to sit down. Immediately, shots were brought to the table.

"Thank god for alcohol," Liam muttered, taking a shot and throwing it back without a second though. Ryan also threw one back, trying to forget about the fact that he was sitting next to his ex-best friend.

"Wow… you guys must be thirsty," Oliver said. Rupert sighed and took a shot as well. After a minute of silence, Rupert cleared his throat.

"So… one year, huh?" he asked. Oliver nodded.

"Pretty much, I mean… I might be off by a month or so, but I think I'm pretty close. Right?" Ryan shrugged.

"I guess, I try to block out a lot of those memories," He admitted. Liam frowned and nodded.

"Yeah, after what happened, it's been hard to really think about it. Especially after all the friends we lost," Liam said. Oliver shrugged.

"Dom was an asshole, Harry and Paul were jerks, and Griffin betrayed us all. What friends did we lose?" He inquired. Rupert just shrugged and headed over to the bar for a stronger drink. Ryan's eyes got cloudy as his brief happy memories from the _Berlin _rushed back to him.

"We had some good times with them all though, even if they were all douche bags," Liam replied, trying to defend their old friends. All of what he had said was true, but they had all shared happier times. Rupert and Dom used to be best friends back on the Berlin while they worked in engineering. Harry and Paul might not have been the smartest best friends around, but they always managed to put a smile on Liam's face. And Griffin had been there for Ryan as well. But now, Paul was dead. Harry and Dom escaped with Griffin as their leader. And most importantly, they lost Colleen. Oliver stuck his tongue out.

"Dom treated me like crap while those two brutes you called best friends shamelessly picked on you. That's why we're here in celebration. Celebration of being done with them al. Especially knockers," Oliver stated as he gestured to the food on the table. "I make rum cupcakes and a brandy cake for the occasion. Dig in!" Ryan's face grew stone cold at Oliver's words. True, the boy wasn't all there, but he had no right.

"Excuse me? What did you just say about my ex-fiancée?" He snapped, his eyes like two bullets penetrating Oliver's skull. Liam placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.

"Don't Ryan…" Liam warned. Rupert returned to the table just as Oliver buried his face into a cupcake.

"You heard me. Colleen was no good for us!" He said with his mouth full. Rupert paled as he glanced at the fuming Ryan. This wasn't good.

"She was my fucking fiancée! You have no right to talk about her like that! You didn't even know her!" Liam sighed, obviously he wasn't helping. Rupert took a step forward and watched them carefully.

"She was a whore. I mean, she went to Rupert, begging him to do her, and then said that she wasn't sure about things with you. Sounds like a whore to Mr. Ruffles," Oliver said. Ryan went to raise a fist, but Rupert reached out and grabbed a hold of his arm.

"Take a deep breath, he doesn't know what he's saying," he said. Normally, Ryan would've punched the British man in the face, but he was too angry with the crazy man in front of him to care.

"I know what I'm saying! I saw her give you a bottle of brandy, then drink the whole thing with you, then tell you she was in a dry spell with Ryan. You said that was a shame and she practically threw herself on you. That might have been because she was piss drunk though!" Oliver said. Ryan clenched his fists, the mans words hitting him hard. After a minute he turned around and went back to the bar, Rupert right behind him.

"Ryan…" he said quietly. Ryan placed his face in his heads, ignoring Rupert's presence. But Rupert didn't move.

"That was a bit much, even for Oliver. I don't know what's gotten into him… probably all the alcohol. Listen, please don't be upset any longer. You have Anna now and you seem like you're moving on. I hate to say it because I know you loved her, but she was bad news, man," Rupert tried, but his words only seemed to make Ryan feel worse.

"I'm tired of feeling this way, Rupert. This… anger and hurt because she lied to me and planned on never telling me. The longing because I miss her so much and I wish she were still here. And the joy from knowing that because she's gone, I finally have a chance to be with Anna. And the guilt I have from feeling that way. I am sick of it!" Ryan snarled bitterly.

"Then why are you still holding onto all of it. You have Anna and she makes you happy. Colleen was always kind of a whore, but you changed her. And she loved you. But part of her could never break the lying. The sleeping with me thing? It was just as much my fault as hers and I take full responsibility since she's no longer with us. But at least she loved you," Rupert tried again. This time, Ryan's shoulders slumped as he ran both hands through his hair, his elbows still firmly planted on the table. Before Rupert stood a broken and confused man. His heart had been played with and his trust broken. What was there for him to do?

"Because I don't know how to let it all go. How do you get over something like this?" Ryan whispered, his voice filled with the pain of everything. Rupert took a seat next to Ryan and placed his arm around his shoulder, pulling the younger man closer to him.

"As stupid as it sounds, perhaps you should try writing down all the things you need to say to Colleen and leave it by her grave. Get it all off your chest, you know? Perhaps she's in heaven, watching down as you grieve. Perhaps not. Either way, I think she'd want you to be happy and move on." Ryan glanced back at him, his eyes much softer than they had been in a while.

"Look, Rupert… I don't know if I could ever forgive you completely. I want to forgive you though, I'm going to try. As gay as it sounds, I've missed talking to you man…" Rupert smirked and shrugged.

"Well, that's what I'm here for… Ryanna." Ryan laughed and nudged him.

"Thanks, Rupette." Before Either of them could say another word, Liam walked up and glared at them.

"You two, are to never leave me alone with that man, ever. I don't know who Mr. Ruffles is, but if he tells me that I need to change my style, I'm going to kill him," Liam snapped.

"I think he's a panda," Rupert said.

"I think he's a space cowboy. Claire said he was a ferret," Ryan said. Liam raised an eyebrow.

"A ferret?" he asked.

"Yeah, with a blue vest and glasses," Ryan replied. All three men began to laugh as the image flooded their minds.

"Wow… I think I'm going to picture him as a ferret now," Liam laughed. Rupert rolled his eyes, looking at Oliver, who was laying on the table and talking to himself wildly.

"I think we should ask the nice cafeteria lady out, Mr. Ruffles. Oh, is she? She can bring her girlfriend, I shall just watch." Rupert looked back to Ryan.

"If I ever get that crazy, just shoot me," he said.

"You should've asked me a month ago, I would've done it regardless," Ryan muttered. Rupert paled, but chuckled when Ryan laughed.

"Dude…" Liam muttered.

"Couldn't help it, he walked into that one." Rupert smiled and crossed his arms.

"Careful, or I'll sick the ferret on you," he warned. Ryan chuckled as Liam just shook his head, his own smile forming.

"Well, let's head back to the table. We said we'd be here so we might as well do something productive," he insisted. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"What, baby-sitting Oliver?" He asked.

"No, drinking lots and lots of strong alcohol," Liam corrected him. They continued chuckling as they sat back down at the table with Oliver. His big blue eyes shined with mischievous intent, but they clearly showed his remorse.

"Mr. Ruffles told me how what I said was wrong, so I take back what I said. Well, most of it. Knockers is still better off out of the picture," Oliver told him, his eyes beaming with pride in himself. Ryan wanted to remain angry at the crazed man, but a part of him agreed with what he was saying. He was better off without Colleen in the end.

"It's alright, buddy. Let's just have a good time."

* * *

"So everything went well then?" Claire asked as she walked with Ryan over to the table. He'd been busy during breakfast, nursing his hangover and doing some last minute scheduling for the security department. But here they were at lunch, ready to spend some time together.

"Pretty fun, actually. Rupert and I made up and we had a pretty good night getting shit-faced," he explained as they approached their usual table. Alex was already there, his back to them. He was hunched over his tray, his shoulders shaking slightly.

"Well that's good to hear. I figured you two would. Oh god… is Alex crying again? I can't take much more of this…" Claire mumbled as they took a seat on either side of the young doctor. They were surprised to see Alex was not crying, but instead shoving his face full of pudding.

"Aren't you allergic?" Ryan asked, appalled at Alex's hungry craze. Claire was not pleased.

"Yes, he is. Do you have a death wish, moron? Stop!" She told him, trying to take the pudding away, but Alex merely leaned back from the table and out of Claire's reach.

"I'm eating my pain, leave me alone," he said through a mouthful of pudding. A small bead of pudding flew out of his mouth and landed on Claire's hand. She pulled back her hand and scrunched her nose, as Alex leaned a bit too far back and fell off his seat.

"Alex, that's disgusting. Not only do I have your nasty pudding germs on me, but it's like… that and spit," she muttered. Alex just groaned and sat back up on the bench.

"I don't care. Pudding is the only thing that comforts me," he muttered, practically inhaling another pudding cup. He paused to cough and Claire shook her head.

"I told you, you're allergic! You need to stop before…" she trailed off when he pulled out a hypo spray and injected himself with it, causing the small swelling in his throat to disappear and he was back to normal. Claire raised an eyebrow and pressed her lips together.

"What the hell did he just do?" Rupert asked, sitting across from Ryan.

"He injected himself with insulin, so he could eat pudding," Claire muttered.

"Pretty genius, right?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, genius with a capital, 'J'! You dumb ass…" Claire muttered. Ryan shook his head and continued to eat his lunch. Alex looked at the last three pudding cups and sighed.

"I'm so full…" he muttered.

"You should probably stop eating then," Ryan pointed out.

"I can't… I'm so depressed." Before anyone else could say anything, Commander Spock walked up to them and stared at Alex. There was a silence between them before Ryan spoke.

"Is there something wrong, Commander?" he asked.

"Are you going to finish those?" Spock asked, pointing to the pudding cups. Alex glared at him,

"Get your own!" Alex snapped.

"I would, but it would seem that you have taken the last of the pudding available. Since you said you were full, I would like the leftovers," Spock said. Claire couldn't help the snort that made it's way through her nose. Rupert and Ryan shot her a look, but she just stared at her food.

"You want my sloppy seconds?" Alex asked, his tone bordering on the nasty side. Claire couldn't help the laugh as she burst out in laughter. Ryan joined her and even Rupert had a smile. Spock didn't seem amused.

"I believe that was what you humans call a dirty joke. As I recall, a normal human response would be "that is what the female said"," Spock said, his eyes not wavering from the pudding cups sitting on the table. Ryan and Claire seemed to laugh harder as Rupert joined in their laughter. However, Alex was not amused.

"You can have one, but first you need to tell me the best way to get over heartbreak," Alex told him, snatching one of the pudding cups off his tray and holding it out to the Vulcan. Spock stared at the small cup before looking up at Alex and then back down at the cup.

"Everyone has their own methods, I suppose. Jim likes to bury himself in his work, like he is doing now with his heartbreak from the Conaway girl. Dr. McCoy likes to drink as a solution to his problems. Perhaps your way is eating until you are so large that your ex no longer finds you attractive and you have no choice, but to move on. I will take your pudding now, Dr. Chambers." Alex was so appalled at Spock's words that he said nothing as Spock took the pudding cup and walked away. Alex's hand never moved even long after the Vulcan had left.

There was a silence at the table before everyone but Alex broke out into laughter. Alex let his hand drop and looked down at himself, trying to see if he was gaining weight. Rupert was the first to sober, but Ryan soon followed. Claire, however, continued to giggle until Alex nudged her.

"Shut up, it's not funny. I'm going to get fat!" he said.

"You're not going to get fat, you haven't eaten that much pudding," Ryan said.

"Besides, the insulin would probably cause you a horrible bodily reaction before you got fat," Claire told him.

"Great… just great… I'm going to work." Alex stood up and left the table, not bothering to take his tray up. Claire rolled her eyes and continued eating her lunch.

"So…" Claire looked up to see both men looking at her.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"No comment about what Spock said about Kirk?" Rupert asked. Claire frowned and shrugged.

"He's jackass," she said. Ryan wanted to say more, but didn't. Instead, he focused on Anna walking in and sitting down.

"Hmm, I saw Alex storm out of here. Any reason why he was practically running to the gym?" Anna asked. Claire took a bite of her food and smirked.

"Menopause, I think he's having a mood swing," she replied. Anna chuckled and shook her head. She then turned and began to talk to Ryan and Rupert, while Claire let her mind wander to Jim. She was a bit taken aback by Spock's statement. She was also a bit frustrated with him. He had no right to be upset, he broke up with her. Then, to top it off, he went out with Sophie not even three days after the break-up.

"Claire?" A voice said. She jumped a little and looked at the group, who was staring at her.

"What?" She asked.

"You have a message on your data pad," Anna said. Claire looked down, and sure enough, it beeped with a message.

"Oh," Claire muttered. She quickly reached out and grabbed it, making sure she could read it without anyone reading over her shoulder. Ryan simply watched his sisters face change from angry, to frustrated, to shocked. She then dropped her data pad on the table, causing him to move closer to her.

"What is it?" he asked. Claire said nothing as she slid the message over to him and covered her mouth with her hands. Her eyes traveled up and met a familiar pair of blue, though they were not as bright as she remembered them. His face looked tired, and upon meeting her eyes, he seemed to frown even more.

"I can't believe her!" Ryan snapped, causing Claire to look away and looked at the table.

"What's wrong?" Anna asked.

"My mother, that's what's wrong. Of course she has to stick her nose where it doesn't belong. She's setting up Claire with some random dude," Ryan snapped. Anna glanced over at the blonde, but found that she was simply staring at the table.

"Well, are you going to meet him?" Anna asked.

"Of course she isn't," Ryan hissed. Anna shot him a look.

"I was asking, Claire…" Ryan rolled his eyes and waited for his sister to reply. When she didn't he glanced over.

"Claire?" She looked up and noticed everyone was staring at her. She suddenly felt self conscious and shrugged.

"I don't know…" Ryan's eyebrows shot up.

"You don't know? It's a guy mom is setting you up with! How great can he be? You can find someone ten times better." Claire pressed her lips together and sighed.

"Yeah, because the last few guys were excellent picks. I'm not saying I'm marrying the guy, but a night with a respectable guy can't be horrible…" Rupert and Anna just watched Claire and Ryan, both of them waiting for an argument to break out.

"Claire…" Ryan said softly.

"I should get to work, I'll catch up with you guys later…" She got up and made her way out of the dinning hall, leaving the group alone. Ryan gave a sigh as he read over the message once more. After a minute he looked up to Anna and Rupert, who were watching him carefully.

"Did you want one of us to go after her?" Anna asked. Ryan shook his head.

"No… I guess she just needs…" He trailed off and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at Anna, who frowned a bit. "I guess I really don't know what she needs. It was so much easier when she was younger, I just had to get her a ice cream cone and she was fine."

"Well, I'm not so sure it's an ice cream cone she's going to want," Anna said, sparing a glance at the tired captain. Ryan scowled and angrily stabbed his food.

"She doesn't need him. He's only caused her trouble," he snapped. Anna shrugged and looked at Rupert, who simply took a long sip of his tea.

"Men… anyway, welcome back," Anna told him. Rupert nodded to her and rose from the table himself.

"Thank you. One thing that I didn't miss while I was gone was the siblings arguing," Rupert stated before he walked away from the table. Anna nodded as she turned back to her food.

* * *

"Claire?" Ryan let his knuckles rap against her door as he waited. He'd spent the whole day overseeing the security department go through their weekly training routine and just thinking about the situation with Claire. And now that he thought about it, he had a lot to say.

"Ryan?" Claire opened the door dressed in her pajamas with a towel wrapped around her head.

"Hey Claire-bear. I know it's a bit late, but I was hoping we could talk for a minute," Ryan asked. Claire motioned for him to enter her room as she pulled the towel off.

"Sure, but don't stay too long. McCoy has me on the early shift tomorrow morning," she explained. Ryan nodded.

"Well I'll make this quick then so you can head to bed. I was kind of acting like a jerk today at lunch. If you want to meet this guy, it's your decision. I don't think it's right of mom to try to set you up with some random guy, but again, it's your decision on whether or not you want to meet him. As your older protective brother though, I'll just be in the area in case he tries something on you and you need help. Not that you would, cause you know, Anna taught you how to kick some major ass, but… sorry, I know I'm rambling on a bit…"

"A bit," she chuckled. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I just… I don't want this thing with Kirk to cause you to go after some random dude," he said softly. She frowned and shrugged.

"Honestly… I don't know why I'm thinking about it. I'm not going to marry the man, I guess I just want to see what he's like. I know the name sounds familiar, but I can't place it. I guess it's just me being curious," she told him. He nodded and gave her a small smile.

"Alright, I should… I guess I should leave," he said. She gave him a hug and kissed his cheek.

"Thanks, Ryan. Hopefully everything will work out," she said. He sighed.

"I hope so… do you know when you'll be meeting this… guy?" he asked. She nodded.

"He sent me a message not too long ago. The next space station we visit will be the one we meet." Ryan watched his sister's face as she thought it over.

"Are you going to be alright?" he asked softly. She shrugged.

"No clue, I'll let you know when I find out." Ryan nodded and placed a gentle kiss on the crown of Claire's head before exiting her room. As he entered the hallway, he heard a familiar voice screaming down the hallway.

"LIAM! Please just listen to me… I'm so sorry!" Ryan turned away from the direction of his room and choose to follow the sound of Alex's voice. He didn't want things getting ugly.

"No, go away! I listened to you enough the day after you slept with my best friend!" Liam hissed as he approached his room with Alex following close behind him.

"But you forgave her!" Alex countered, trying to think of a reason for his ex-boyfriend to forgive him. Liam shook his head as they stopped in front of his door.

"She was in a bad place and she wasn't cheating on anyone. You betrayed me more than her because I gave you my heart, Alex," Liam said, whirling around to look Alex in the eye. Alex was a tough guy and had never cried in front of anyone before, but he couldn't help a stray tear fall down his cheek.

"And I gave you mine too. Everyday that I'm not with you, my heart breaks a little bit more!" Alex cried out, still struggling to hold his tears back. Liam sighed and turned his back to Alex.

"Perhaps you should have thought about that before you slept with Claire!" Liam snapped as his door slammed shut. Ryan watched from the end of the hall as Alex pressed his forehead against Liam's door and choked back a sob. Ryan slowly approached the heartbroken doctor and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

"Come on, Alex," he whispered soothingly as he guided him away from Liam's room. Alex nodded as he continued to silently cry. Ryan lead him back down the hall to where his new room was located and tried to get him to go inside.

"I-I can't…" Alex choked out as he clung to Ryan around the waist. Ryan sighed and reluctantly began to head back to his room.

"Fine, you can stay with me for the night," Ryan told him as they headed for the lift.

"T-Thank you…" Alex told him, tightening his grip around Ryan's waist a little. Ryan sighed.

"But don't expect to be hooking up with me in the middle of the night like you did with my sister," Ryan added, his voice a bit cold. Alex nodded.

"Of course…"

_

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_

And now for the reviews!

_**nickiR0x  
**__**Raxsah: **__Talk to Jeck about mushy angsty chapters, she's really good at the angst. And the action. And believe us when we say this is not close to the ending. Maybe… halfway through? Maybe… I'm not counting the epilogue though.  
__**Jeck: **__That's right, enjoy the angst. Embrace it. Raxsah and I were just talking about today how I have the most angsty music between the two of us. I HAVE EMBRACED IT! MAWHAHAHA! Sorry, I'm sick and tired so therefore I'm crazy… don't worry, we've only got about half of it posted right now. We're finishing it up today, and then starting our next project soon. Maybe. I don't know. We're still talking about it. And trust me… we do make it more amazing. :3_

_**X-PANIC  
**__**Jeck: **__Team? Are we Team Liam and Team Alex now? Oh snap… hmmm, I like all the praise. Since people like writers with good modesty, then I should probably say this, "Thank you for your kind words, but there are so many other good writers out there. And there are some pretty good Star Trek stories out there." However, since I'm me… DAMN RIGHT WE ARE! WE'RE FUCKING AMAZING! :3  
__**Raxsah: **__I call Team Alex, because I like him as a character. That and I based him off a very nice looking doctor on Grey's Anatomy. And it ain't McSteamy! I'm glad you like our stories. Makes me feel good about myself. :D_

_**Yayyou  
**__**Raxsah: **__Alex was originally meant to be simple, but the more we wrote him, the more complicated he got. I hope our other characters have some depth.  
__**Jeck: **__Thanks. Yeah, we try to give all of our main characters some depth, you know?_

_**Lintered  
**__**Jeck: **__Well thanks. At least we know we can get some day jobs. lol We're merely poor college writers. Just wait, CRACK PAIRINGS AHEAD! JIM AND RYAN ALL THE WAY! No, I'm just kidding though. I know you guys are trying to pick spoilers out of what we say on here (and sometimes I just can't help myself). :3 But just keep reading and I know you'll all be happy.  
__**Raxsah: **__I'd just like to say that I knew Claire and Alex were going to sleep together since the beginning. I don't know how, I just did. I think everyone sleeps with each other because the writers of this story are slightly sex deprived. Sad ain't it?_

_**SWfangirl21  
**__**Jeck: **__Honestly, I think that's why so many people like our story. I mean, isn't a story that you can relate to better than one you can't. Although I'm not sure how we do it sometimes since it's not a normal thing for us to speed around in a spaceship through shit tons of galaxies and such… we can give you Raxsah's lamp daughter Vanessa to beat Jim up with. :3 You know what the sad part about Ensign Creeper is? Physically, he was modeled after Raxsah's younger brother. Just a fun fact. But her brother is not a creeper. He's probably one of the coolest kids you'll ever meet, actually. Hmmm… I didn't even think about making Claire pregnant. Hmmm… it looks like we'll be updating every Sunday, so you'll have that to look forward to. Enjoy your week, our number one fan!  
__**Raxsah: **__Let's not mention Vanessa. Kirk is impulsive, and doesn't think before he acts. And Claire needs some time by herself. Like we have said before, we have reasons for everything. Yeah, believe it or not, Ensign Creeper is designed to look just like my brother, but my brother is 100 times cooler, and 1000000 times more innocent and naïve than Creeper is. Riley is… a douche bag. Again, I always knew that Claire and Alex would sleep together, though I never thought about Claire getting pregnant. That would have been a plot twist. Anna is kick ass, gotta love her. Colleen, I'm not sure Ryan would have wanted to raise the baby after finding out that it wasn't his. He's noble, but that's a bit too far. Hopefully we shall see you next week._

_**Raxsah: **__Well, I believe that does it for this chapter. Why do I have the feeling we're going to get a ton of hate mail because we broke up Alex and Liam?  
__**Jeck: **__I EAT HATE MAIL FOR BREAKFAST! Oh wait, I don't eat breakfast because I can't afford it. NEVERMIND! Guess what!  
__**Raxsah: **__Perks of going to college from home is having your parents buy you bagels, tons of bagels. What?  
__**Jeck: **__WE FINISHED THE STORY! I miss bagels… I don't think I've had a breakfast item in over a month…  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes we did finish the story, now we just need to post it. Hahahahaaa. Anyway, hope you all liked this chapter. The new one should be coming soon enough. Hopefully it will be happier than this… is it? Idk. O.o  
__**Jeck: **__Pfft, I don't know. We haven't established how long the next chappy will be. Fun facts for our readers, this chapter is currently titled "AIM and (Raxsah's real name) can suck my bawls". Just thought you should know. :3 Raxsah loves me. Bitches love me.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, as if you had any bawls. Anyway, hope to see you all next week!_


	20. Savior

_**Raxsah: **__So… what happened to every Sunday?  
__**Jeck: **__Um, college happened? It was pretty much all my fault too… XP  
__**Raxsah: **__Not all your fault… just mostly your fault. Still, shit happens… I'm hungry.  
__**Jeck: **__I'm not. I just ate a bagel with cream cheese. And now I'm drinking Juicy Juice. FRUIT PUNCH! Not as awesome as Falcon Punch, but still pretty awesome.  
__**Raxsah: **__Well pin a rose on your nose! My mom refuses to go shopping until all the roast beef is gone, and since I do not eat roast beef… I'm screwed.  
__**Jeck: **__I'm pretty sure this can be solved. Where is your brother when there is all this defenseless roast beef is begging to be eaten?  
__**Raxsah: **__He's working on it he says. Hahahahahaaaa. Ah… so, we are back dear readers… later than scheduled, but back nevertheless.  
__**Jeck: **__And that's what counts, right?  
__**Raxsah: **__Right. So… what's in this chapter. Hmm… Right, stuff that needs to be in here, but is pretty much just a build up to the next part. But it is important. We promise you.  
__**Jeck: **__And you'll love it, we promise you. We're good like that. Well actually, she's good like that and I'm just good looking. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__You know it babe! Well, I suppose it is ridiculous to delay this any longer. On with the story!_

**

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**

Chapter 20; Savior

* * *

"Did you hear about the away mission?" Liam asked. Claire nodded and continued to look over her patients blood work.

"Yes I did. A small away team is going to land on a new planet and study it. Apparently, it's almost earth like. Why?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Just wondering… I heard you got selected to go," he said. She chuckled and shook her head.

"So what if I did? Jealous?" she asked. He made a face and stuck his tongue out at her.

"Insanely. Not only do you have a date with a potentially hot man tomorrow night. In a couple days, you get to go and be part of this huge mission, with Commander Spock and like… seven other people," he said.

"You just want to share a tent with Spock again," she said, sitting on a medical bed and marking a few things down on a chart.

"Still, you always get the lucky breaks," he muttered. She rolled her eyes and glanced over, watching as Jim talked to McCoy in McCoy's office.

"I'm not sure I always get them," she muttered. Before Liam could reply, she stood up and walked to the medical station.

"Doctor, Mrs. Fisher made an appointment tomorrow before you head to the station," Nurse Chapel said. She nodded and signed her name on a clipboard.

"Sounds good. I hope she get's to a station before she delivers, I'm not sure I could handle that," Claire admitted. Nurse Chapel nodded.

"I'm sure you would do fine." Claire went to respond, but stopped when she heard McCoy's office doors open, and a familiar pair of blue eyes met hers.

"For the last time, Jim. She's going on the away mission!" McCoy snapped. Jim broke his gaze away from hers and nodded.

"Fine." With that, he quickly darted out of sickbay. Claire didn't move as she made sense of McCoy and Jim's words. Jim didn't want her on the away mission. McCoy turned to look at Claire.

"Back to work, Conaway. You've got plenty of work to do before you leave on the away mission," he told her. Claire nodded and walked away from McCoy's office, her mind going a mile a minute. Why didn't Jim want her to go on the away mission? From what she heard, he wasn't even going to be there. It was just her, Spock, Anna, another man from security that she didn't know, one guy from the engineering department, and a man and woman from the newly developed research department. Claire just couldn't wrap her mind around it.

"Hello, earth to Claire. Mr. Monroe is here for a prostate exam and he's requesting you as his doctor," Liam told her. Claire scrunch her face up and sighed.

"Sometimes, I really hate this job…" She muttered.

"Join the club."

* * *

"You sure you're going to be alright?" Ryan asked. Anna nodded and threw another punch at the punching bag. Ryan stood across from her and held onto it, making sure it was stationary.

"I'll be fine… I've been on away missions before," she said, landing one last punch before taking a sigh and walking away from it. Ryan walked over and watched as she wiped the sweat off her face.

"I just… I don't want anything to happen to you," he said softly. She turned a light red and grabbed her water bottle.

"You worry too much." She took a long sip before she put it back in her bag and turned toward him.

"Well… I just care about you," he said. She smiled and placed a hand on his cheek.

"I care about you too, but I'm not flipping out every time you go do something dangerous," she said. He sighed and leaned forward, his forehead pressing against hers. His arms rested around her waist and he pulled her closer.

"I know… I'm sorry," he whispered. He leaned down and pressed his lips softly against hers, causing her to let out a small sigh. Her hands immediately reached up and tangled into his hair, as he deepened the kiss. After a moment, he pulled away and smiled.

"I think I can forgive you… as long as you don't go all ballistic on that guy Claire is going to meet tonight," she said. He raised an eyebrow.

"Did… did Claire put you up to this?" he asked. She chuckled and kissed him again. When she pulled away her brown eyes seemed to glow.

"No, but I know she was going to ask me anyway." Ryan went to speak, but she cut him off. "So… how would you like to have dinner with me tonight?" she asked. Ryan narrowed his eyes and gave her a playful smirk.

"Are you asking me because you actually want to go out with me, or so I don't go ballistic on the guy that Claire is going to meet tonight?" Anna returned his playful smile.

"A little bit of both, but mostly because I'd like to go out tonight with you," she explained. Ryan nodded and pulled her close.

"Good, because I want to go out with you too," he told her, leaning down to capture her lips once more. She tasted like mint, probably from her toothpaste. Unconsciously, Ryan smiled into the kiss. He loved the taste of mint. Anna pulled away.

"Why are you smiling, doofus?" She asked. Ryan just continued smiling at her.

"Oh nothing important."

* * *

Claire took a sip of her drink as she unconsciously glanced at her appearance. Her long blonde hair was let down and she straightened it just to be sure. Her hair covered her bare shoulders, and the black off the shoulders top hung loosely off her body. Her jeans covered most of her skin, except the skin that her heels let show.

"Another one, miss?" the bartender asked. She gave a nod and finished up the rest of her drink. She had originally come with Liam, but he left to dance with a few men, not that he would go any further than dancing though.

"Claire Conaway?" a voice asked. She glanced over and her grey eyes met a warm brown pair.

"Yeah?" she asked. The man in front of her stood at a pretty tall 6'3", and his chocolate colored skin seemed to contrast his grey dress shirt immediately. She glanced in his hand and saw he was holding a black suit jacket, showing he must have just got out of work.

"I'm Troy Brooks," he said, a large smile on his face. Claire immediately felt her mood lighten upon seeing him. She was worried he was going to be another stuck up jerk, but from his demeanor, she was wrong. She shook his hand and he sat down next to her.

"Wow, you're… not what I expected," she confessed. He smiled once more.

"Is it because I'm black?" he asked. Claire chuckled and turned red.

"No. It's because you're extremely good looking, and you seem very nice. I'm very glad to have met you, and not some asshole," she said. He chuckled and turned toward the drink in front of him.

"Well, this is actually the third time we've met," he told her. Her cheeks turn a bright red and she pressed her lips together.

"Really? Wow… now I feel like the asshole," she admitted. Troy shrugged and his warm eyes met hers.

"It was a long time ago. We first met at your thirteenth birthday party," he said. She furrowed her eyebrows and tried to think back, before a look of realization came to her.

"Oh! I remember! We played seven minutes in heaven and… we…" She trailed off and her eyes dropped from his when the memory popped up. He simply watched her, a amused smile came on his face.

"That was my first kiss, just for the record," he told her. She gave a small laugh and ran a hand through her hair.

"Yeah, mine too. It was… memorable," she admitted.

"Well, I was nervous, I didn't mean to hurt your lip," he muttered. She smiled and lightly touched her bottom lip. She remembered being locked in the closet with him, and after a minute, he suddenly kissed her. They spent the next six minutes enjoying their small innocent kiss, no tongue involved, before the doors suddenly opened. Both of them jumped in surprise, and he accidentally bit her lip. Though, she couldn't say that she hated the kiss.

"It's fine… I had a story to tell all my friends," she said, a smile on her face.

"I'm just glad your parents didn't ask any questions." She chuckled and took another sip of her drink.

"You, uh… you said this was the third time we met. What was the second time?" she asked. He smiled and turned toward her, she even thought she saw a glimpse of a blush.

"It was at my seventeenth birthday party," he said. She shook her head and laughed.

"I'm going to be honest, I don't remember half the birthday parties I went to after fifteen," she said. They both laughed and he moved a bit closer to her.

"It was my second birthday party, the one my friends threw. It was at a club called Deeds," he told her. She thought it over before a look of realization came to her face.

"Oh, yeah… I don't remember much from that party. I remember dancing on the bar, and making out with this really hot guy in the back before Ryan showed up and dragged me out of there before me and that guy went too far," she said. He smiled and nodded, his eyes looking down. After a moment, another blush came to her cheeks.

"That guy… was you," she said. He nodded.

"First heavy make-out session, by the way," he told her. She pressed her lips together and ran a hand through her hair.

"Can't say the same… but it was one of the best." He seemed to smile with pride, and they sat in silence for a moment.

"So… what do you do in Starfleet?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm a doctor. A surgeon actually," she told him.

"Wow… never thought you'd be a doctor," he confessed.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure everyone thought I was going to get knocked up or get married," she said.

"Yeah, except for the fact that you never slept with anyone, just made-out," he pointed out.

"Well, yeah, except for that."

"Actually, everyone was shocked when you up and joined Starfleet," he said. She gave a small nod and looked down at the bar table.

"Yeah, I was surprised myself."

"You seem to be doing well for yourself, regardless," he said.

"Thanks, what is it you do now?" she asked.

"I help my dad sell his products. The basic high level software that he refuses to sell to Starfleet, but feels free to sell to the stations," Troy explained.

"Sounds… boring," she admitted.

"Well, we all can't be Starfleet surgeons." Claire chuckled.

"I guess not."

* * *

Their laughter rang out through the restaurant, causing a few people to turn and look. Ryan didn't even bother to care, he was too lost in Anna's eyes. Anna took a sip of her wine and gave a light chuckle.

"Sounds like your childhood was insane," she commented.

"Insane is an understatement. Living with so much freedom and so much money, kids do crazy things," he said. Anna rolled her eyes.

"I'm surprised though. Normally kids who had the things you and Claire did would turn out like spoiled rich kids," she said and Ryan shrugged.

"If I were an only child, I might have been like that. Same for Claire. But we were there for each other and we realized that money couldn't buy the happiness that we had when we were together. We really didn't have parents, but we had each other. Money didn't really mean much, it just made it easier for us to do that stupid things that we wanted to do together," Ryan explained. Anna nodded at his words.

"I suppose. I never needed money to do stupid things with my brothers. The seven of us managed to get by without it." Ryan scratched the back of his head nervously as Anna took another sip of her drink.

"So what was it like having six brothers? I mean, Claire drives me crazy enough and she's only one girl. I can't imagine having six sisters," he said with a chuckle, trying to picture six sisters who were exactly like Claire. Anna giggled at the thought.

"It wasn't that bad, actually. My mom wasn't really in the picture, so it was just my dad and the seven of us. Everyone looked out for one another, but especially me since I was the only girl. Dating sucked," she told him, a look of nostalgia on her face. Ryan felt his heart beat a little faster as he noticed the small smile on her face, the way her cheeks rose along with her smile. He noticed the way her eyes lit up at the memories she shared with her family. Ryan couldn't help the feeling of awe sitting before the girl of his dreams.

Colleen was different, she had sex appeal and she listened. But once they were together, she stopped listening and started demanding things of him. But Anna challenged him while still caring and listening. And of course, she also had the sex appeal.

"Why'd it suck?" He asked in an airy tone, as if he wasn't all there. His mind was focused on the girl before him, but he found it hard to concentrate on her words. Anna seemed too thoughts in her own thoughts to notice.

"Well, my dad didn't really want me dating until I was thirty, you know? He didn't want his little girl corrupted by some random guy. And my brothers shared a similar view, so they chased off any guy who tried to date me. I love them all dearly, but joining Starfleet gave me a really chance to start dating," she explained. Ryan chuckled, finding it so easy to imagine Anna's father.

"At least your family really cares about you. I know how your brothers felt though, about you dating," he admitted. Anna nodded as she leaned back in her seat.

"I've noticed. Ever since I met you, you were ready to kill any man who looked at her funny. You've mellowed a bit though, which is good. But like any good brother, you're still all about protecting her," Anna said with a smile.

"I think it's a born instinct." Anna smiled at him.

"Must be," she muttered. After a minute Ryan leaned closer to her and smiled lightly.

"So… what would your brothers think about me?" he asked. She chuckled and shrugged.

"Not so sure… they'd be pretty hard on you, but I think you could handle them. You dish it out, I hope you could take it," she said. He laughed.

"I hope I could. Then again, it's six against one, not too fair," he reminded her. She smiled widely, and leaned forward.

"I think you could take it," she said softly. He smirked and pressed his lips onto hers, causing her to smile into the kiss. He pulled away and kept close.

"Hmm, I guess we'll have to wait and see," he whispered.

* * *

"Gosh, so much happens when you join Starfleet," Troy muttered. Claire nodded and took a sip of her fourth drink. She wouldn't have said she was drunk, but she was getting quite tipsy.

"Yeah, gosh… the past year alone as been a rollercoaster," she muttered.

"Can I ask you a question?" he asked. She looked at him and noticed for the first time that night, he looked serious.

"Sure…" He sighed and let his fingers trace the wood in the bar.

"Why did you agree to meet me?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I could ask you the same question," she replied. After a minute he gave a sigh.

"I was engaged… lovely woman. She seemed to brighten up the room just by being in it. She could make me laugh when I was a my saddest, and she could make me feel like I was capable of doing anything when she was around. I was head over heels in love with her." Claire felt a pang in her heart as she related every single emotion to her and Jim.

"What happened?" she asked. He frowned and continued to look down.

"She passed away in a car accident. I was devastated. My parents began to worry I would never marry again, so contacted your parents. They at first said you were with someone, and wouldn't agree to the meeting even if they did ask. Then, I got a message that I was to meet you at this bar. I figured it couldn't hurt. If it would get them off my back, I would do it. But what I can't figure out, is what your story is," he confessed.

"Well… I just got out of a relationship…" she said.

"A bad one?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Not until the end." He raised an eyebrow.

"What happened?" she sighed and glanced over at the bar, frowning when she saw the exact man she was thinking of, watching her carefully.

"I was in love. We were happy, and we just seemed to fit together. Then… after certain circumstances, things just fell apart," she whispered. He frowned.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he replied.

"Don't be. I guess I agreed to this because… I figured after so many bad relationships, I must be doing something wrong, so maybe my parents could do better." Troy snorted into his drink.

"No offense, but a pretty girl like you could land whoever you wanted. I don't really think that your parents need any involvement in it," he told her. Claire smiled at his words.

"Oh really? So then why am I here with you now?" She asked with a curious smile. Troy shrugged.

"I saw a pretty lady in the bar who just happened to be the same girl my parents wanted to hook me up with. You could have easily have been some random girl in the bar," he said, trying to be smooth. Claire scrunched her nose at his words.

"So I'm just a random girl in the bar?"

* * *

"So how about we head back to the ship?" Ryan asked as they paid for dinner. Anna nodded.

"Sounds like a plan to me," she replied. They rose from their table and exited the restaurant only to come face to face with Captain Kirk.

"Ryan, did you know your sister is in the bar with some random black guy?" He asked, with an angry look on his face. Anna froze as she realized the trouble that this could cause. However, Ryan seemed unaffected.

"Oh, so Troy is black? That's cool. I'm sure she's having a good time," he said nonchalantly. Both Anna and Jim gave him a shocked look.

"How can you say that? Your sister could be dating a criminal?" Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Are you racist, captain?" She asked, her accent becoming a bit more apparent as she tried to hide her anger from his words. Jim shook his head.

"No, I just don't think that this Troy is a good guy. He seems kind of shady," he told them. Ryan and Anna exchanged looks.

"Because he's black?" Ryan asked. Jim stomped his foot as his frustration continued to grow.

"No. Why do you keep insinuating that I'm racist?" He snapped.

"Because you're racially profiling him," Anna countered, tightening her grip around Ryan's arm. They just wanted to enjoy their night out and here was Jim, trying to get Ryan to start something with Claire's date.

"I just don't think he's the kind of guy you want Claire dating," Jim finally said after sighing. Ryan shrugged.

"I honestly don't like the idea of her dating any guy, but it's a free country and she can date who she likes. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm on my own date." Jim sighed and turned around and walked away, leaving Ryan and Anna lone in the hallway. Anna gave a sigh and followed Ryan back to her room.

"Gosh, he's… crazy," Anna muttered. Ryan sighed and placed his hands on her waist.

"Let's not mention this to Claire…" he told her. She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Okay, how about we stop talking, and you kiss me goodnight?" she asked softly. He chuckled and leaned down to capture her lips with his. His tongue slipped into her mouth and she gave a sigh of bliss. He pressed her up against the wall. His body seemed to crush against hers, and she felt all of his muscles tense against her. His hands traveled up her sides, slipping under her shirt and enjoying the shivers erupting all over her body. After a moment he pulled away and kissed her neck, causing her to moan.

"R-Ryan… I need, it's late," she breathed. He groaned in disappointment and pulled away. He kissed her quickly before pulling away.

"I guess I should get going," he said softly. He turned around to leave, but gently reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Wait!" Anna's desperate voice seemed to startle herself just as much as Ryan. Ryan flinched slightly at the sound of her voice, but nodded. He wasn't scared, but the intensity caused him to jump.

"Yeah?" Ryan turned back around and his lustful grey eyes connected with Anna's.

"You can come in… but don't expect anything sexual beyond making out," she warned him, but seemed to be asking him in at the same time. Ryan gave her a simple smile as he reached up and cupped her cheek, his palm soft against her sensitive skin.

"I… I don't think I'm ready for that yet anyway. You look beat, why don't you get some rest?" Anna reached up and tugged on Ryan's collar.

"No pressure. I just think I'd sleep better wrapped in your arms," she told him. Her heart felt like it she was running a marathon as she nervously stuck her heart on her sleeve. She'd never been so open with any guy before, nor had she ever tried so hard. Ryan was a broken man after Colleen died, but Anna helped him through that and rebuild his life. It was her job to clean all of Colleen's old things out of Ryan's room. It was her job to help him come to his senses. So naturally, it was her job to be honest with him. Ryan leaned down until his forehead rested against hers.

"How am I supposed to say no to that?" He whispered to her with a smile spread wide across his face.

"That would be the point, doofus," she replied as she closed the gap between them, missing the warmth of his skilled lips against her own. Ryan ran a careful hand through her long dark brown hair as she wrapped her arms around his neck once more. When oxygen became an issue, Ryan pulled away.

"Not that I'm not enjoying this, because I am, but perhaps we should head to bed. Because I'm really enjoying this," he told her, gesturing below his waist. Anna giggled as she leaned into his chest.

"Good idea. I mean, how professional would it be for me to sleep with my boss after our first date."

"Not very professional, but understandable," he said. She rolled her eyes and took a hold of his hand.

"Whatever, doofus, how about I let you take a cold shower and we head to bed?" she said. He nodded and kissed her forehead.

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

"This is me," Claire said. Troy gave a nod and looked down at her. After their drinking, he had convinced her to take a walk with him, ending at the door of her room. Claire crossed her arms and caught a whiff of his cologne. It seemed to be completely made up of spices, and seemed to give a kick right to the nose. It was quite appealing, but wasn't what she was looking for.

"Thank you for letting me buy you a drink," he said. She gave a small nod and took a deep breath.

"Yeah… thanks for the night out," she replied. He gave a small cough and pressed his lips together.

"So… plans for the night?" he asked. She knew exactly what he was insinuating. They had already talked about how sexually frustrating it was to be single for so long, and she knew he had it bad. Though she thought he was nice, she was not about to welcome him to her bed.

"Uh… same thing as every night," she said softly. He nodded.

"You still get those nightmares you were telling me about?" he inquired. She shifted her weight at his statement. She was pretty tipsy, so she divulged more information than she probably would have liked.

"Uh… yeah. I mean, it's no where near as bad, but it still keeps me up," she confessed. He nodded and moved a bit closer toward her.

"He really messed you up, didn't he?" Troy asked, his deep voice becoming softer. Claire looked down and let her eyes trace over the carpet. His hand cupped her chin and guided her head up so he could meet her gaze. His brown eyes were surprisingly warm, but they did nothing to make her feel better. They were not _his_ eyes.

Troy leaned forward, and pressed his lips against hers. She froze immediately, and absentmindedly kissed back. His lips were soft, but that was it. Her heart didn't flutter, her limbs didn't turn to jello, and she didn't lose her breath. Her hands gently pushed him away and she looked down, closing her eyes and trying to make the man in front of her go away.

"I… I can't," she whispered. Troy was frozen as he looked down at her. He could practically see the wheels in her head turning. He took a step back and sighed.

"You still love him, don't you?" he asked. She frowned and continued to stare down at the floor.

"And you don't still love your fiancée?" she asked. He froze as he looked her over. She looked up and he could still see the pain in her grey eyes.

"I still love her, but she's gone. She's not coming back. I can't just stop life because she's gone," he said. She sighed.

"See… it feels like my life has stopped now that he's gone." A silence came upon them as she closed her eyes and let her words sink in. Troy gave a small cough and Claire opened her eyes, slipping off the jacket and handed it to him.

"Maybe our parents were wrong," he said, slipping the jacket on.

"Wouldn't be the first time…" she muttered. He nodded and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Can I give you a piece of advice?" he asked. She paused but shrugged.

"Sure, I guess…" he held her gaze for a long time before he spoke.

"This guy that you're in love with, I know you two split… but try your hardest to get him back. If he makes you feel the way you do, then there is obviously something there that is worth fighting for," he said. She was silent for a long moment before giving a nod.

"Thanks, I'll see you around?" she asked. He gave a nod and kissed her cheek.

"Bye, Claire…" he turned around and began to make his way off the ship. Claire sighed and leaned against the frame of the door.

"Bye, Troy…" His form disappeared and she gave a heavy sigh. Her meeting with Troy Brooks was not what she expected. Nor did she expect his words to effect her so much. A small part of her wanted to be the one to go to Jim and ask him to come back to her, but the larger part of her, wanted him to come to her. The bigger part of her was winning, and she was suffering for it.

"Claire!" A voice called. Claire looked down the hall just in time to see Alex stop not too far in front of her.

"Alex, what's up?" he shrugged.

"I'm going out, want to come with?" he asked. She frowned.

"I was just out, I'm a little tipsy as it is," she said.

"Come on, you're twenty-three… you can't tell me you haven't partied till dawn," Alex said. Claire paused for a moment before shrugging.

"I guess you're right. What's the plan?" she asked.

"Party till we pass out," he answered immediately. Claire laughed and hooked arms with him.

"I like it, let's go."

* * *

The sound of her alarm echoed through her room, and Claire flinched out of her sleep. She quickly reached out and slammed the alarm, ignoring the sudden pain in the back of her shoulder. The annoying beeping noise stopped and she fell back into the comfortable sheets. She felt the bed shift and took a deep breath, hoping that she didn't end up sleeping with anyone. She opened her eyes and looked over, sighing when she realized it was only her dog. She closed her eyes and snuggled back into her pillow.

When she went back out with Alex, she spent much more time drinking hard liquor than she did when she first went out. The last time she remembered looking at the clock before she blacked out, it was almost three in the morning. After that, she couldn't remember a thing.

The sound of her door beeping alerted her and she gave a small groan, pushing herself up off the bed. She once again felt the pain in her back shoulder, but ignored it. The beeping sound of her door was much more annoying.

"God, just come in," she snapped, running a hand through her hair. Rocky sat up and gave a yawn before jumping off her bed. Claire took a glance around her room. She was surprised she hadn't thrown up at all during the night. The door opened and she wasn't surprised to se her brother walk into the room.

"Jesus… what did you and that guy do last night," he asked, walking closer. Claire caught a glance of herself in the mirror, and flinched at the sight. She was deathly pale, and her hair was a complete mess. She ran a hand over her face and looked up at her brother.

"I went out drinking with Alex after Troy… we decided to get piss drunk," she told him.

"Didn't you go out drinking with Troy?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah… but I didn't get drunk. Alex said he wanted to get stupid drunk. I just realized that I haven't gotten stupid drunk in a long time. I wanted to get stupid drunk," she explained. He sighed and shook his head.

"I'm going to clean you up a bit. Are your towels still in the same place?" Claire nodded and watched her brother walk back into the bathroom. She gave a heavy sigh and fell back on the bed.

"Ouch! Fuck!" Claire hissed, the pain in her shoulder flaring up. She rolled over on her stomach and gave a muffled cry.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked from the bathroom.

"The back of my shoulder hurts so much!" she cried. Ryan stepped out of the bathroom and stopped when he saw the problem.

"Jesus, Claire, when the hell did you get a tattoo?" he asked, sitting on the bed and examining it. The tattoo was a butterfly on it's side, it's wings overlapping. The color was a bright blue that faded to the black lining, and the closer it got to the actual body of the butterfly, it turned white. It would have been a wonderful piece of artwork, if it was not on his sisters shoulder.

"I have a tattoo?" she asked. Ryan nodded and grabbed her data pad, taking a picture and handing it to her.

"What were you thinking when you put this thing on your shoulder?" he hissed.

"I don't know… I was drunk. You think I can get McCoy to take it off?" she asked. Ryan examined it for a moment longer before he sighed.

"No… you were a complete dumb ass and got someone to do it the way they do Romulan war tattoos, which of course, never come off. If there is a way to take of the mark, only the Romulans know how to do it," he said. Claire sighed and looked at the tattoo. She wasn't sure what inspired her to get it, but upon seeing it, she could say exactly why she picked the color.

"It could be worse… I could have a penis on my shoulder," she said. Ryan sighed and helped his sister sit up.

"True… either way, we got to get you cleaned up for work." She nodded and begrudgingly made her way to the shower.

"Ugh, I hate Romulans, not only does their ale give a horrible hangover, but their stupid ink doesn't wash off," Claire snapped, closing the door and jumping in the shower. Ryan rolled his eyes and had a small flashback of seven years ago and frowned. The sudden fear that they were not moving backwards struck his heart, and he was suddenly very worried that history was beginning to repeat itself.

"God, I hope not," he whispered.

* * *

Anna raised her eyebrows at the sight of Claire Conaway, her head pressed against the table and her hands covering her ears. Anna would've laughed if she didn't get small warning nudges from Ryan. Ryan, was still smiling at his sisters stupidity, but didn't want anyone full out laughing at her.

"Did you want coffee?" Ryan asked.

"I want my instant hangover cure. Where the fuck is Liam?" she hissed into the table. Anna looked at Ryan, who just tried to chuckle quietly.

"Claire get's a little evil after a hangover," he explained to Anna. Anna nodded and looked back at the blonde woman.

"Hmm, with every awesome night of partying, there is a consequence," she said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Ugh… Where is Liam?" she asked.

"Right here, hold still," Liam snapped, sticking her with a hypo spray. Claire gave another groan and looked up.

"Now you show up," she mumbled. Liam rolled his eyes and sat down next to her.

"Oh, get over it. Why the hell are you getting piss drunk the day before going on a huge away mission?" Liam asked. Claire took a deep breath and tried to calm down her head-ache.

"Liam… she's had a rough night," Ryan said.

"Oh, I've heard. I heard our little Claire has a nice looking tattoo on her shoulder," Liam snapped. Anna's eyes went wide.

"Seriously? You have a legit tattoo?" she asked.

"I was seriously drunk. A lot of shit sounded like a good idea at the time. Getting a tattoo was the least dangerous," Claire said. Liam rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, as if you even remembered getting it," he muttered. Claire shot him a glare, but Ryan patted Claire on her non-tattooed shoulder.

"My sister, queen of the drunken mistakes," he announced. Liam shook his head and walked away from their table, but Anna giggled at his statement.

"I don't know about the queen. I've made my share of stupid mistakes too while drunk," she told Claire. Claire forced a smile back as she caught sight of her ex-boyfriend walking into the dining area. Jim's eyes searched the room and fell upon Claire's longing grey ones. As soon as she realized that he was staring back at her, her eyes went back to being angry and she turned back to the table.

"We're over here, Jim!" McCoy called from his table in the corner, Spock and Uhura already enjoying their breakfast. Jim gave one last glance at Claire before making his way over to his friends. Claire sighed.

"I think I'll just going to head to work early and see if I can do anything to take away the pain in my arm a bit. I'll see you two lovebirds later," she told them as she rose from her seat. Ryan tore his gaze away from Anna's bright beautiful smile and turned to his sister.

"Good idea. I'll swing by around lunch to say hey, sound good?" Claire nodded and left their table, heading towards sickbay. Ryan watched his sister retreat from the dining area and noticed someone else looking at her out of the corner of his eye. He looked over at Jim's table to see his guilty blue eyes following Claire's form.

"What are you looking at?" Anna asked, noting the faraway look in her boyfriend's eyes.

"Jim… he's been staring at Claire since he walked into the room. I know I'm supposed to let Claire deal with things herself, but I'm mildly concerned, you know?" Ryan explained. Anna nodded and pulled on his arm, forcing him closer to her. Ryan didn't need to be told twice and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder.

"Just let them work things out. If he starts following her around or something, then I'd be concerned," she instructed him. Ryan nodded and smiled.

"You're like my kite string, you keep me grounded," he told her causing Anna to blush.

"Keep talking, I think I might keep you around."

* * *

"Come on, Dr. McCoy. There's got to be something that we can do!" Claire asked. McCoy merely shook his head.

"There's nothing I can give you for the pain. Romulan ink is made to hurt, as a challenge for the Romulan who wears it. And there's no way to remove it, unless we cut a chunk of your arm off and re-grow it back. That'll take over a week and hurt ten times more than the tattoo does now," McCoy explained to her. Claire sighed in frustration and leaned against McCoy's desk.

"I'm an idiot…" she mumbled to herself. McCoy shrugged as he gestured to the door.

"I won't agree or deny your statement, but the idiot needs to get back to work," he instructed her. Claire raised at eyebrow at his words.

"Wait, didn't you just… never mind," she muttered as she left his office. She walked up to Alex, who frowned upon seeing her.

"I'm assuming that McCoy can't take it off," he said.

"No, and it's made to hurt too… god this sucks," she complained.

"Tell me about it, at least you can sit down." Claire nodded then froze. She glanced back at Alex and furrowed her eyebrows.

"What the hell did you do last night?" she asked. Alex turned pale and gave a small cough.

"I got a tattoo as well…" When he didn't elaborate, she took a step closer to him.

"What is it?" she asked.

"It's on my ass," he explained.

"I got that much, what did you get?" He sighed and ran a hand over face. Claire simply watched as he tried to swallow his pride and tell her.

"It's a pudding cup… with Liam's name underneath." Claire was silent for a good minute before she began to burst out laughing. "It's not funny."

"It's fucking hilarious!" she cried. Alex smacked her shoulder, causing her jump and grab her shoulder in pain.

"Jerk," he snapped.

"God Damn! That fucking hurts!" she said, tears almost coming to her eyes.

"You started it!"

"I did not!" she snapped. Before either of them could comply, Nurse Chapel walked over to them.

"Doctor Chambers, you have a patient, and Doctor Conaway, you are reminded that tomorrow morning you have a meeting with the away team to talk about the away mission," she said.

"Thank you, Nurse Chapel," Alex replied as he started towards the other room. Nurse Chapel watched as a wicked grin crossed Claire's face. She quickly jumped forward and gave Alex a not-so-gentle smack on his butt. Alex cried out in pain, causing everyone in sickbay to turn to face him.

"You okay there, pretty boy?" Spike asked from across the room, licking his lips as he watched Alex grip his butt in pain. Alex ignored the blonde's comment as he rounded on Claire.

"What the heck was that for?" He snapped, staring at Claire in disbelief who couldn't hold back her laughter. Alex glared as she doubled over, tears in her eyes as she couldn't stop her laughter.

"Chambers and Conaway, get to work. Nurse Chapel, I need your help with some paperwork," McCoy snapped from in his office. Nurse Chapel gave Claire and Alex a sly smile and left for McCoy's office. Alex sighed.

"How is it that he doesn't even have to be in the same room as us to know that we're not working?" He muttered under his breath, but loud enough for Claire to hear.

"He's magic," she replied. Alex rolled his eyes and began working. Claire on the other hand, was stuck with paperwork, and the nagging pain in her shoulder. She began working on a few files before the doors opened and Jim Kirk walked in, causing her to turn pale. He turned toward her and seemed to be fighting with himself. He would open his mouth to talk, but then closed it before saying anything. Claire simply looked back down at her charts, hoping that he would just leave. Instead, he walked up to her and cleared his throat.

"I don't think you should go on the away mission," he stated plainly. Claire looked up, and her grey eyes met his bright blue.

"I'm sorry?" she asked.

"I can't convince Bones to make you stay, but you can decline the mission." Claire just blinked and continued to let her eyes drink in his gorgeous face.

"I'm sorry, I'm not declining the mission," she said tersely.

"Claire… please don't go on this mission," he asked. There was a silence between them before Claire pressed her lips together.

"Why don't you want me to go?" she asked. Jim seemed to be a loss for words as he stared at her. His eyes selfishly raked over her beautiful face, noticing that it was a bit lackluster, but seemed a lot more alive than it had a few weeks ago.

"I just… don't think you are qualified to handle a mission like this," he said. Even in his head, his answer sounded lame. Claire felt like her chest was on fire and she couldn't tell if it was from the anger she felt that he dare say something like that to her, or because a part of her was screaming for joy that he actually seemed to care.

"Jim, I can handle anything thrown at me. Starfleet trained me to handle away missions. It's not like it's going to be dangerous or anything, we're just exploring a new planet," Claire hissed, trying to hold back her screaming rage. How dare he? Jim ran a hand through his hair as he repressed his own angry words.

"Well… I've seen you on away missions before. I'm just worried about your well being, that's all. I know you're not the best fighter ever and we don't know anything about the race of aliens down on that planet," he said, trying to hold back the snappy tone of his voice, but failing. Claire sighed.

"It's not your decision, it's mine and I plan on going on the away mission," she stated simply. Jim furrowed his eyebrows.

"Fine. You know what, go. Like I care," Jim finally snapped, not even waiting for a response as he stormed out of sickbay. She simply watched him leave before giving a frustrated huff. If he was going to be a jerk, fine, she could be bitch too.

* * *

Claire gave a frustrated sigh as she crossed her arms. She had just left from a major meeting, and was not looking forward to the away mission. Thankfully, Anna would be with her, so it wouldn't have been as bad. Sadly, Jim was being a pain in the ass, always shooting her looks from across the room. She was sure she liked it better when he wasn't talking to her.

"God, sounds like this away mission is going to be boring," Anna said. Claire nodded.

"Yeah… though, knowing our luck on away missions, we'll get attacked by a giant bunny or something," Claire said.

"Stupid bunnies, I always knew there was something up with them." Claire chuckled.

"I know, I mean, what's with all the carrots?" Claire asked. Anna was giggling insanely now, and turned to look at the blonde.

"Really, why do they need such great eye sight anyway?" By this point, both women were bursting out into a fit of giggles as the lift they were in continued to move. The doors opened and Ryan stepped in, raising an eyebrow at the both of them.

"Do I want to know?" he asked.

"No, but you should stay away from the bunnies, they're evil," Claire explained. Ryan rolled his eyes and moved forward to lightly kiss Anna on the lips. Anna blushed and looked down, not used to the public display. Usually when he kissed her, it wasn't in public.

"So, how was the meeting?" Ryan asked.

"Boring as hell. God, the more I hear about it, the less I want to go," Anna said.

"Maybe we can ditch and find a beach to tan on. I could use some color," Claire said. Anna scoffed and looked at her Carmel colored skin.

"Speak for yourself," she said. Claire chuckled, realizing her mistake.

"Well, are you against more tanning?" Anna shook her head, smiling wide.

"I never said that," she countered. Ryan wrapped his arms around his girlfriends waist and pressed his cheek against hers.

"We should probably get going," Claire said checking the time on her watch. She didn't want to ruin their moment, but the last thing they needed to do was to be late for the away mission and give Jim a reason to take her off the away mission.

"Alright, I'll see you two in a few days. Take care of my sister," he said, addressing Anna. Claire scoffed at his words.

"Like I need taking care of," Claire mumbled. Ryan chuckled.

"Okay, keep her out of trouble then. The last thing we need is for her to get another tattoo in the middle of the night." All three of them burst out laughing at Ryan's statement.

"You know, I wouldn't mind getting another tattoo. I'd like to remember getting it this time, though," she said. Ryan shrugged and turned to Anna.

"Take care, babe. I'll miss you," he said, leaning down to capture her lips. She sighed in contempt and pressed herself closer to him. Claire quickly walked out of the lift and left the two of them alone. Ryan just pulled away from her and pressed his forehead against hers.

"I'll miss you too," she confessed. He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Be safe."

"I'll try." Anna kissed his quickly before walking out of the lift and to the transporter room. Claire was in the process of putting a belt on her hip, in order to hold her phaser. Claire looked up and forced a smile on her face.

"You alright?" Anna asked. Claire nodded.

"Yeah, just tired. We better get going before the captain yells at us," Claire said. Anna nodded and grabbed he belt, following her into the transporter room.

"Nice of you ladies to join us," Jim said. Claire didn't glance at him as she stood next to someone on the transporter.

"I believe we are ready," Spock told them as he finished typing something on his data pad. He passed it off to Scotty before turning to Uhura to say goodbye. Jim sighed as he approached the transporter pad, making sure to stay a safe distance away.

"Claire, this is your last chance to get out of going on the mission," he warned her, but the concern in his voice was apparent. If it had been one of the first ten times that he'd said it to her, Claire probably still would have felt her heart flutter. But it wasn't one of the first ten times he'd suggested she stay on the ship, not even one of the first twenty times anymore. He cared, obviously, but he was treating her like her brother used to. She was a big girl and she was fully aware of what she was getting herself into. And their mission wasn't even that dangerous, they were just doing a routine exploration of the planet. It had a very low risk rate, considering they were going to be on a planet of a peaceful culture.

"See you in a few days, captain," Claire snapped, trying to get him to leave her alone. Half-heartedly, Jim backed away and crossed the room to stand next to Scotty by the control panel.

"Alright, well if everyone is ready…" Scotty began. Jim watched with a somber look on his face as everyone stood ready on the transporter pads, waiting for Scotty's next words.

"I believe we are, Mr. Montgomery," Spock commanded, standing up straight and waiting for the next command. Claire sighed and looked down at her feet, tired of the longing look that Jim gave her. It was getting harder and harder to deal with her own feelings every time and if they weren't going to be together, she just wanted to have him out of her life.

"It's just Scotty to you, Spocky. Alright, I'm beaming you down…. NOW!" Jim's eyes never left Claire's as her body began to fade away, her molecular structure disappearing down to the planet below. For a moment, he wanted to jump out and try to grab hold of her. He was tired of watching her vanish from his life. In that moment, Jim realized what an idiot he was. And when Claire came back from her away mission, he vowed that he would try to make it right.

"Hey Jim… Jim… Jimmy!" Jim snapped out of his thoughts and glanced over at Scotty.

"What?"

"You had this look on your face like you just lost your puppy," Scotty told him. Jim ran a hand through his hair as he headed for the door.

"I kind of did. But I'm going to get her back," he promised. Scotty gave him a puzzled look.

"Wait, you have a dog? You know, I miss so much down there in engineering…"

* * *

The first thing Claire noticed about the planet was that it was extremely warm, and a bit humid. The second thing was that, everything was green. The small away team took a moment to look around before Spock turned to them.

"We shall begin the initial reconnaissance, it would be wise to stick close to each other, do not wander off. Though the alien culture may seem peaceful, we have no idea what their reaction to us may be," Spock said. He group nodded and Claire looked over at Anna, who made her way over to her.

"Hey, you alright?" she asked. Claire picked up her medical travel kit and nodded.

"Yeah, why?" she asked. Anna shrugged.

"I don't know, Kirk seemed a little… weird. What's going on between the two of you?" she asked. Claire sighed and shrugged.

"I honestly have no idea," she replied.

"That man get's weirder and weirder. Maybe he's losing his mind," Anna muttered. Claire shrugged and glanced up, noticing that the thick trees covered most of the sun.

"So much for tanning," Claire muttered. Anna chuckled and they began to follow the group.

"Man, now we might actually have to work." Claire gave a small gasp.

"Oh no! God forbid!" Both girls began to giggle and follow the group. Though the temperature and climate was not quite desirable, the place was beautiful. Plants of all types of variety surrounded them, their colors going from a bright lime green, to a rich forest green. There was also a few bright flowers that popped against the green, a few which caught some of the crew members attention.

Claire caught a glimpse of one, and stopped to gaze at it. The flower stood lone against the bush, and it seemed to hold a certain regal presence. Though she had seen many roses back home, she had never seen one so strange. Most of the rose was a light grey, bordering on white, but the middle pedals were a bright blue that could rival the ocean itself.

"Claire, you coming?" Anna asked. Claire looked over to her, then back at the flower. After another second she nodded and walked over to Anna.

"So… how long have we been walking?" Claire asked.

"An hour and a half. We have found nothing, and Spock keeps stopping to look at everything. Quite boring if you ask me," Anna said. Claire nodded and continued to look around.

"Yeah, but we knew that when we sat through that meeting," Claire reminded her. Anna chuckled and they continued to follow the group.

"God, I miss being on the ship already," Anna stated, the annoyance clear in her voice.

"So… you and Ryan seem to be getting along quite well," Claire said.

"We are, he's a really nice guy," Anna told her, a smile appearing on her lips.

"You don't have to tell me that. Ryan is a nice guy, though he has his moments where I want to punch him in the face," she said. Anna laughed and gave a small nod.

"Can't deny that, but I think everyone has moments like that." Claire nodded.

"Yeah." There was a long silence in between the girls as they walked for another thirty minutes or so before Anna spoke.

"I think Jim loves you," she said. Claire pressed her lips together and continued to walk. Anna just watched as she Claire began to let her thoughts linger. "Claire…"

"Why is this happening to me?" she asked softly. Anna just raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean the fact that I always fall head over heals with guys that I shouldn't. I know damn well that with Jim there is a big chance that we won't stay together. We've hurt each other so much that… I don't know if there is a chance we could recover, even if we do love each other. God, I should've just stayed on earth," Claire muttered. Anna frowned upon looking at her.

"Doctor Conaway, you are needed," Spock called. Claire gave a sigh and made her was to the front of the group where she saw Spock hold up another officer.

"What happened to him?" Claire asked.

"He was hit with a dart, and then began to fall ill," Spock said. Claire grabbed her scanner and did a quick scan over the man. After a minute she pulled out a hypo spray and stabbed the man, causing him to freeze before the color came to his face.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Looked like a mild poison. Easily cured with our universal antidotes. Though, I had to use the strongest one," Claire explained.

"What does that mean?" Anna asked.

"It means that if any of us got hit with the actual poison and not a watered down version of it, we're screwed. Only the ship has enough resources to make a antidote strong enough." Spock raised an eyebrow.

"Which brings up the question on who shot the dart in the first place," Spock said. Before anyone could guess, something jumped out of the tree and landed in front of them, followed by twelve other identical aliens. They were tall, and reminded Claire of amazons, except for their green skin.

"Identify yourself," one of them asked. Anna stepped forward, her hand held at a safe distance from her phaser, but still ready just in case the natives began to attack.

"We come in peace," she told them, trying to prove her point. One of the natives scoffed.

"That wouldn't be the first time we've heard that excuse," he snapped back at them.

"But if you don't inform us of your intentions, it will definitely be your last excuse. Who are you and why are you here?" Another one demanded. Claire went to open her mouth, but Spock's hand appeared on her shoulder. In his normal monotone voice, Spock addressed the aliens.

"We hail from the starship Enterprise. Starfleet has asked us to explore this planet and interact with the native culture. We mean you no harm," he offered, staring the aliens down with his emotionless stare. Claire didn't move as he removed his hand from her shoulder and took a step forward.

"This is not acceptable. In the past, many of your species has come to our planet and tried to steal our resources. How can we trust you?" A man stepped forward, appearing to be the leader of the small band of green aliens. Spock pondered the man's question for a moment.

"We are under strict regulation of Starfleet not to do any harm to your planet. We are merely here to learn more about the planet and your people," he explained to them. Some of the men nodded at his words, but others looked skeptical.

"I don't know about this…" An alien whispered to the leader-like figure. Spock heard the alien's words and sighed.

"If you would prefer we leave your planet, we will do so without question. We are merely here for knowledge, not materials. Since it is your planet, we are bound to your rules," he said, trying to show his respect for the unknown alien race. Claire raised an eyebrow, remembering clearly from their meeting that Jim informed that to contact the ship in case of such complications. Even if they weren't allowed on the planet, Starfleet would be back.

"I like them. They have cute little faces!" One alien declared from the side. Claire wasn't able to tell if the alien was male or female, but she didn't let her mind dwell on the topic.

"That's enough out of you. Crew of the Enterprise, we will allow you to remain on our planet for a maximum of three days. After that, you must leave. You may not take anything with you, nor are you allowed to harm anything on this planet. If you are not gone by the end of the third day, I'm afraid we have no choice, but to execute you all. Do you understand?" The leader told Spock. The green alien forced a friendly smiled upon his face. Everyone could tell it was forced, but any one who didn't know him wouldn't have known the difference.

"We do, thank you. We shall leave the planet the way we found it when we arrived," Spock told them, offering the leader his word. Claire and Anna watched with bored faces as the leader of the alien race asked Spock for his signature on their agreement before the aliens left. Anna sighed as a silence fell over the group.

"Well, wasn't that fun?" She said, breaking the awkward silence.

* * *

"Okay, two and a half day of not finding anything is boring, can't we call it quits now?" Claire asked. Spock turned toward her.

"There is only one more place to look, then we shall call the Enterprise and beam aboard. After that, there is another string of meetings and paper work to be done, I can understand your reasons for wanting to get back so quickly." Claire paused before walking past him.

"Forget it, just keep moving," she said. Anna gave a light chuckle and followed her.

"I do agree though, this is boring… we haven't found anything," Anna said.

"I know… this sucks. I'm like… really thirsty too," Claire muttered, running a hand over her hair. Anna nodded then stopped, turning her head to the side and concentrating hard.

"Do you hear that?" she asked. Claire paused and listened, her eyebrows furrowing.

"It sounds like running water… like…"

"A waterfall, I believe that is what it is," Spock said, walking toward the noise. The group slowly made it's way through the bushes and trees, making sure they kept close together. Finally, they came to a clearing and in front of them stood a large waterfall. It fell into a rather large pond, and there was lily pads and other sort of plant life.

"Dude, finally! Some water!" a man called.

"Wait, let a science officer scan it, you do not wish to have a bad reaction to it," Spock said. The man nodded and one of the science officers stepped forward, pulling out a scanner and carefully checking the water.

"Watch it not even be water," Claire muttered.

"It's not…" the officer said. Anna looked down and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" she asked.

"It's not water. Well, it is… but isn't." Spock raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's like… repairing water. It is full of regenerating cells that if alter their own genetic code to match whatever organism it comes into contact with," the officer said.

"So… in essence, it's healing water," Claire confirmed. The officer nodded and Spock raised an eyebrow.

"This… is unexpected," he answered.

"This is amazing! Just imagine the things we could do with this. We could stop death in its track, we could heal people who are on the brink of death… this is amazing!" the other science officer said.

"I wonder what it's called…" Anna mused aloud.

"I believe such a thing in human literature would be called something like, purification water," Spock said. Claire raised an eyebrow.

"Purification water? Does that mean if I drink it I can become a virgin again?" she asked. Anna began to giggle, and a few of the other officers gave her a weird look.

"Maybe if you bathe in it. It's like a cleansing pallet… just soak your vagina in it for a bit," Anna told her. Spock raised an eyebrow at the two of them.

"I highly doubt that it would have that desired effect," Spock said, musing over the newfound miracle medicine. Anna scratched her chin as she looked over the waterfall and pond.

"So it's like the fountain of youth, but instead of staying young, you'll be healed. That's pretty freaking awesome," she stated. Spock turned to the science officers.

"What do you recommend that we do?" He asked them. The first officer looked at him with big shining eyes.

"Take as much of it as we can, of course. This is a major medical breakthrough. Any disease might be cured and any injury will be healed. We need some of this water!" The officer declared.

"I thought we were instructed to not take anything with us?" Claire interjected. Both science officers' faces dropped at her words.

"Hmmm, you are correct. Perhaps we can meet with one of the leaders and discuss the possibility of taking a small sample with us then," Spock declared.

"Think they'll go for it?" Anna asked.

* * *

"No." The crew of the Enterprise watched as Spock starred emotionlessly at the leader of their local culture.

"Pardon me, sir, but this water is-" The leader held up his hand to Spock, causing him to stop mid-sentence.

"No. This water is part of our planet and you agreed to not remove anything from our planet," the leader reminded them. The rest of the natives watched almost as emotionlessly as Spock.

"I realize this, but-" Again, the leader held up his hand and cut Spock off.

"No. I'm sorry, but we cannot approve of the transportation of the Curatio Water." Claire sighed and looked over to the science officers who were both pressing their lips together in distaste.

"I understand-"

"I don't think you do. This water is sacred to us, it was given to us by our Gods and entrusted to keep us from harm, just as the poison from the Morte plant was given to us to protect ourselves," the leader said.

"You don't understand! This is a scientific breakthrough!" A science officer snapped. Spock turned to him and gave him a cold stare.

"You dare speak out against us! We made a deal, you must honor it!" he snapped.

"You aren't listening! This water can save the lives of hundreds, millions! You are being selfish for keeping it!" the other officer snapped. He went to take a step forward, but Claire reach forward and pulled him back.

"Shut up!" Claire hissed.

"You'd better listen to the woman," another green alien snapped. Claire took a step forward and stood next to Spock, Anna right behind her.

"Listen, we really do get that this is sacred, but for us, this is an amazing discovery. Our people have been destroyed by disease and have been left without a cure. With this water, we could finally be rid of that and move on. As a doctor, I only want to make sure things are easier for my people to heal, and with this water I can do that…" The leader looked at her for a long moment before glaring down a her.

"No, that is our final answer… if you do not leave this instant, we will have to place you in our prison. If you speak against us we shall be forced to arrest you." Before Spock could agree to the terms, the science officer stepped forward.

"You selfish bastard! How can you do this! You need to think of someone other than yourself! I'm taking that water whether you like it or not!" he snapped. He went to turn around, only to get stabbed with the sword of a guard, causing him to let out a scream. Immediately Spock turned to the leader, who was glaring at them all.

"Capture them! They are not allowed to leave!" he shouted. The green aliens charged towards the crew members. Spock roundhouse kicked two of the aliens while punching another in the face. Three more aliens rushed at him, restraining him from doing anymore damage. Anna noticed Spock's predicament as she ducked under the blow of one of the alien and kicked his knees out. Her hand shot to her belt and yanked her phaser to blast the natives off Spock, only to find that it wasn't there. She cursed as she remembered that the aliens forced them to remove all weapons as they entered their stone huts.

"CLAIRE! CONTACT THE ENTERPRISE!" Spock shouted over the fighting. Claire nodded and tried to back up, but slid in some fluid on the floor. The science officer who had been stabbed stared up hopelessly with his last dying breath as he bled out all over the floor. Quickly, Claire pulled out her communicator.

"Conaway to the Enterprise. We are in need of help!" She shouted into the communicator as one of the aliens kicked it out of her hand, causing her fingers to crack as they bent in the wrong direction. Claire howled in pain as another alien jumped out and pinned Claire to the ground. Her hand was in mind numbing pain, but the feeling of a man forcing himself upon her sent her into an animalistic rage. Without thinking, she kicked the man in his crotch before flipping him to the side. She rose to her feet to continue to beat the man to the ground, but she froze as unimaginable pain shot through her shoulder. She looked down to see the point of a sword sticking out of her shoulder.

"CLAIRE!" Anna watched helplessly as Claire fell to her knees and her vision became blurred. The last thing Claire remembered was the sight of the aliens dragging Spock away, and the feeling of the stone cold floor.

* * *

Jim Kirk stormed down the hallway as he made his way to the bridge. He was in his room doing some paper-work, when all of a sudden he got an emergency page. He quickly made his way onto the bridge and looked over at Sulu.

"What is it, what happened?" he asked.

"We were contacted by the away team saying they needed help, then when we tried to contact them, we got no response." Jim frowned and walked up to him.

"Play the message," he said. Sulu nodded and pressed a button.

_"Conaway to the Enterprise. We are in need of help!" _Jim felt his heart clench when he heard her voice and he moved to sit in his chair.

"Sir?" Uhura said. He could tell she was worried, usually Spock would've called in, but Claire had. This could only mean that the away team was in more trouble than they thought.

"Have they responded to anything?" he asked, a little hopeful. Sulu frowned and shook his head.

"No sir… we have tried everything. What should we do next?" he asked. Jim sighed and ran a hand over his face and looked down. Starfleet regulation said that he had to contact the closest admiral and see what they said. His gut, however, said that he needed to go down and get his crew back, to get his best friend back, to get his Claire back. He looked up and watched as Ryan walked onto the bridge.

"I was called…" he stated.

"We got a message from the away team…" Jim said softly. Ryan's face became pale and he took a few steps closer.

"Is everything alright?" he inquired. Jim shook his head.

"We lost contact, they were in trouble, and broke contact before we could help them." Ryan's face fell but her tried to keep a level head.

"Are they…" Jim sighed.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. Ryan took a deep breath to calm himself and looked around.

"So… what do we do?" he asked. Jim was silent for a long moment before standing up.

"We go after them. Conaway, you're with me… assemble a small but strong security team to beam down. We'll call Starfleet when we have our people back," Jim told the crew. Ryan nodded.

"I'll get on it," he told Jim before taking off towards the security deck. Jim watched his retreating form before turning back to the crew.

"Attempt to contact Starfleet. As soon as we get the away team back, we're going to have some things to discuss," he ordered as he left the deck. He was not going to let them hurt his friends.

* * *

"What do we think?" Anna asked as Spock inspected Claire's wounds. Every finger, but her thumb on her right hand was broken and the wound on her shoulder was getting worse and worse by the minute.

"I think that the sword she was stabbed with was laced with some of their poison. The wound is infected and the poison is slowly killing her. We need to get her medical help soon or she is not going to make it," Spock informed them. Everyone starred down at the unconscious Claire. Anna was nervously playing with the hem of her shirt before she jumped up and crossed their cell to the door.

"We need medical attention in here!" She called out. A second later, the face of one of the natives appeared.

"You'll all be executed anyway. One less body isn't so bad for us," he stated coldly before he disappeared. Anna slammed her hands on the bars of their cell.

"How can you say that? She's going to die!" She shouted, trying to reason with the guard. He returned and glared at Anna.

"You tried to break our treaty and disrespected our culture. The price for that is death. The swords had poison on them for a reason," he countered in the same cold emotionless tone. Anna said nothing and the alien took that as his cue to leave. The remaining officer from the science department looked over at Spock as he tried to treat Claire's wound.

"Spock, what do we do?" He asked hesitantly. Spock sighed and he pulled away from Claire's body and gave the away team and calm look.

"We hope that the _Enterprise_ got our message."

* * *

"Alright… let's go, we can't waste anymore time," Jim said. The security team nodded and they all made their way on the transporter pad.

"Sir, what are we going to do if the crew is not alive?" A man asked. Ryan glanced over and frowned, not liking the thought of losing his girlfriend and sister.

"We'll deal with that when the time comes… beam us down Scotty," Jim said. Scotty nodded and soon the crew found themselves in the middle of the forest. Jim looked around and pulled out his phaser, his eyes searching the area to see if he could find any clue to where his crew might be.

"Jim… over here," Ryan said. Jim turned toward him and walked over to a stone path, which he saw led to a rather large city.

"They have to be there…" Jim told him.

"I have no doubt… the problem is… how do we get there?" Ryan asked.

"We drag you there, that's how," a voice replied. The whole team turned around, only to be met with a large group of green aliens holding swords and spears.

"We're here in peace! We've come to find our crew," Jim said. The middle alien scoffed.

"We know why you are here, our leader will deal with you… just like he has dealt with your crew." Jim didn't get another chance to get a word in before the shoved him forward and the crew begrudgingly followed them into the city. The city was full of aliens, all of which were giving them looks of disgust, and Jim realized it might have been harder to escape than he originally thought.

"Stay here… the leader will speak to you in a moment." Jim simply shot the alien a look, and began to look around. There was no sign of his crew, but he could make out a distinct spot on the floor where a large red stain now was, and he had the sinking feeling it was from one of his men.

"Who are you?" Jim snapped his head forward, and was met with, who he assumed to be, the leader.

"I am James T. Kirk, captain of the _U.S.S. Enterprise._ I have come for my crew, if they are here," Jim said confidently. The leader scoffed.

"I know who you are, you may have come for your crew, but you shall not have them." Jim took a deep breath and tentatively took a step forward.

"Please… I don't know what happened, but if you return my crew to me, I promise to take them and leave you planet forever," Jim said.

"They violated a contract, they promised their leave after three days and refused to do so. Then, they insult us further by asking to take from out planet. No, you may not have your crew back. Two have already died, and the rest shall follow them." There was a pause before a alien spoke up.

"One sir…" The leader furrowed his eyebrows and turned toward him.

"What?" he hissed.

"Only one has died… the other, the female, is still alive." The leader had a look of disbelief.

"She was stabbed in the shoulder, how is she still alive?" he hissed. The man shrugged.

"We are not sure either…" Jim and Ryan exchanged looks. There were only three girls on the away team, two of them were very dear to both men. The chances that it was either Claire or Anna was large and had them both worried.

"Quite strange…" The leader mused. Ryan wasted no time in pulling out his phaser and firing at the leader. The room was filled with his loud cry. He fell to the floor, green fluid pouring from the wound now forming on this thigh. Ryan turned to Jim.

"Find them. We've got this," he instructed him. Jim wanted to snap back at him, not liking to be ordered around, but the situation they were in was a dire one.

"Fine. Good luck," he said before taking off. A few aliens tried to stop him, but the rest of the security team had their phasers out and covered Jim's back as he busted out of their stone hut. As his team dealt with some of the other natives, Ryan turned back to the leader.

"You don't fuck with a Conaway," he snapped, pointing his phaser back at the leader. For the first time, Ryan noted the look of fear in his pale green eyes.

"You won't free them. There's too many of us," the leader said in his weakening voice. Ryan fired his phaser again, purposely hitting the leader in the stomach. More of the green blood began pouring out of the leader's body as a small trial of it began to leak out of his mouth.

"I may not like him very much, but I trust Jim. Besides, you should be more worried about you right now." The leader glared up at him and clawed at the floor.

"You have brought nothing but destruction upon my people… you all shall be cursed." Ryan glared at him.

"Like we haven't heard that before…"

* * *

Jim's footsteps echoed through the hall as he finally found the dungeon. He had looked through several doors and still hadn't found the cell which his crew was locked in. He gave a frustrated sigh as he continued to roam down the hallway. He needed to find where they were so he could see who was hurt.

"You!" a Alien shouted. Jim pulled out his phaser and shot him square in the forehead. The native fell to the ground and Jim continued to move.

"JIM!" a voice shouted. He paused and looked over, meeting the chocolate brown eyes of a familiar Security officer.

"Anna!" he cried. He moved to the door and yanked it open.

"Jim," Spock said, looking up from his place on the floor.

"Spock, who-"

"We need to get her out of here," Anna snapped. Jim furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He followed Anna as she knelt down next to a woman, and when Jim stepped closer, he finally realized exactly which woman it was.

"Claire…" he said breathlessly. He fell down next to her and his heart seemed to drop from his chest. She was sickly pale, and her hand looked to be in horrible shape, not to mention her shoulder was still bleeding pretty bad. Spock had used the bottom of his shirt to go over the wound, but he we sure that under the cloth, it looked even worse than it did now.

"What happened?" he asked.

"We got into a fight and she was stabbed. Jim, we need to get her to the ship, they lace their weapons with poison and it's coursing through her body." Jim's eyes went wide and he leaned down to pick her up.

"We need to go, now," he said, cradling Claire in his arms. Her grey eyes were dull and tired, but she managed to give him a weak smile. Jim felt his heart swell and ache at the same time as his eyes raked over her wounds once more. Without a second thought, he took off running out of the dungeon. A few of the native aliens tried to jump out and stop them, but Spock, Anna, and the rest of the away team took them out without much struggle. Jim merely watched, his arms wrapped securely around Claire's frail body.

"Come on Jim, we have got to get out of here!" Spock called out. Jim followed them through the winding halls, dodging the aliens as they attacked. Finally after what seemed like forever, they ran out through the door. The sun bathed the tired, dirty, and injured away team, but they didn't stop their running. Jim felt his heart pounding in his chest as he ran as hard as fast as his legs would carry him. It wasn't his life in his hands, it was Claire's. And that was by far the most important life of all in his mind.

"JIM!" Everyone turned to see Ryan and his security team coming up on their right. More of the green natives were chasing them, but they had put a good distance between them.

"Ryan!" Anna said, trying to catch her breath as they ran. Their eyes met for mere seconds, but it was enough. Ryan's speed increased as he caught up to the away team and noticed his sister limp in Jim's arms.

"C-Claire…" Ryan's legs slowed as he tried to comprehend the state of his sister. Anna noticed the slow in his pace and grabbed his hand, giving it a small squeeze.

"Come on, Ryan. We need to get out of here and get her help," she assured him. He nodded and resumed his normal speed as they approached the forest on the outskirts of the town. The trees towered above them, but they continued their hurried pace.

"Captain, if we can get to the small mountain that's not far up ahead, we can contact the _Enterprise _and have Scotty beam us out," Spock yelled over the rustling of the bushes, branches, and everything else in the environment. Jim nodded, but said nothing. His main focus was to get off of the planet and get his ex-girlfriend some help.

"Shit… they're gaining on us," Anna cried out, glancing over her shoulder.

"Hurry, we're almost there!" Ryan shouted as the outline of the rock ledge came into view. Just as they neared the area, Jim felt the ground give way under his foot. He tighten his grip on Claire and angled himself under her body as they fell. The wind whipped around his hair and his eyes burned at the intensity, but he didn't yell.

"Jim!" Spock's shocked monotone voice called out, surprised at the captain's disappearance. Ryan paused mid-run to stop and turn towards the newly formed pit that Jim and Claire had tumbled into.

"CLAIRE!" He called out in a panicked tone, darting towards the edge of the pit. Anna grabbed her boyfriend's arm as he almost tumbled into the hole after them.

"No Ryan. We need to keep going," she told him, trying to pull him away. Ryan resisted her tug and tried to go after them, but he felt a hand on his chest and turned to see Spock holding him back.

"It is no use, Ryan. We can not help them," he told them. Ryan felt tears sting his eyes as both Anna and Spock pulled him away.

"Not without my sister and Jim. We are not leaving them!" He cried out, still trying to get towards the pit, but failing miserable.

"They're gaining on us!" Jim moved so he was sitting up and groaned.

"Just go! Find a way to beam us up from there," he shouted. He heard no reply, and took that as a sign that his crew had gotten away, and now turned his attention to the situation at hand. A few of the aliens stood above the pit and glared at them.

"Shall we shoot them?" one asked.

"No… they shall die soon enough. The female will lose consciousness within the hour, and die within the next… the male will soon follow. Let us return." Jim remained silent as they all moved away from the pit, and then looked back to the woman in his arms. Her make-shift bandage was beginning to bleed through, and her face was dirty, and pale. He quickly ripped a long piece of his uniform shirt and removed the cloth around her shoulder. The frown on his lips increased when he saw how harsh the gash was, and how the poison was starting to turn the skin around the cut a light green. He quickly tied the cloth around the wound and knotted it tight. Claire winced and took a hold of his arm.

"Jim…" she whispered. Jim frowned and pulled her close to him once more.

"I'm here, Claire… I'm here," he told her. He raised a hand to her pale and dirty face and noticed how feverish she was immediately. Her eyes opened, though it seemed to take much effort for her to do so.

"Jim… I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" her voice seemed to break, and tears sprung to her eyes. Jim sighed and tired to swallow the lump in his throat. Sudden realization that this might have been the last time he was going to speak to her seemed to make him feel as though he was falling apart.

"Claire…" she shook her head and a few tears fell out.

"I should have never kissed him, I should never have kissed Spike. I was so stupid to get kidnapped. If I had been a better fighter I could have…" she trailed off and pressed her lips together. She had been telling him she was sorry, when she really just wanted to tell him that she loved him. Jim just let his thumb caress her cheek as he stared down at her.

"No, don't blame yourself for Riley… please don't. That was my fault, Claire…" he whispered. A few tear fell down her cheeks, clearing away a some dirt covering her face. She sobbed and flinched at the pain that erupted in her shoulder, and she looked up at him.

"I love you…" she whispered, her voice breaking at the end. Jim felt his heart clench and lift at the same time. He pressed his lips together and pressed his forehead to hers. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

"I love you too, Claire… so much." He froze when she didn't reply and pulled away. His stomach fell when he realized that she had passed out, which meant the poison was working faster than he thought.

"Claire… Claire wake up. Claire!" he hissed. He got no response and checked her pulse. There was still there, but it was quite slow. Jim quickly pulled out his communicator.

"_Enterprise_, come in! We need to get out of here, now!" He shouted into it. Claire's limp body in his lap caused a hint of desperation in his voice. A muffled voice responded, but Jim couldn't barely make out what he was saying.

"… can't… beam… magnetic… block…" Jim placed his face in his hands as realized their situation. There was no way out of the pit for them. Jim ran one hand through his greasy dirty hair as he glanced up the hole again. It was then he noticed the tiny spikes sticking out of the walls of the pit. They must have been covered in poison, he thought. So now they were both doomed. Jim closed his eyes and tried to think of a way to get both him and Claire out of the hole. After a few minutes of pondering, Jim picked up Claire and gently tossed her over his shoulder. If she were conscious, this would have been much easier, but sadly, things could never be easy.

"I'm doing this for you, Claire," he mumbled to the unconscious blonde. He took a deep breath before jumping up and grabbing hold of one of the small spikes, seeing as they were coated in a liquid. His grip began to slip, but Jim refused to lose his hold. Half-heartedly, he forced the center of his palm into the spike. The hole echoed with his scream as the flesh ripped apart at the tip of the spike. Not giving himself any time to feel the pain, he moved his other hand up to a spike and did the same thing, letting out another cry of pain, but this one was softer as he was more accustomed to the pain. He continued his painful venture up the wall of the pit, making sure that Claire was securely on his shoulder. Just as they reached the top of the hole, he felt the familiar feeling of being beamed up to the ship.

* * *

"Jesus Christ!" a voice muttered. Jim looked up into the cold eyes of Doctor McCoy, who surveyed the scene in front of him.

"Bones… Claire…" he groaned from the pain erupting in his hands and fell to the ground, Claire right next to him.

"Doctor Giles, get Conaway to sickbay, make sure Chambers fixes her up." Spike nodded and moved forward, scooping up the unconscious blonde and rushed her out of the transporter room. McCoy knelt down next to Kirk and immediately stuck him with some sort of antidote for the poison that was on the spikes.

"Will she be alright?" Jim asked. McCoy sighed and looked at his hands, thankful that he could take care of it right there. McCoy wasn't sure he wanted Jim to be in the same room as Claire was, especially if she didn't make it.

"My doctors are going to do the best they can," he said, stabbing each of his wrists with a serum to speed up the healing in his hands. Jim gave a grunt and looked at one of his best friends.

"Bones… she needs to be alright, please…" McCoy glanced in the other mans eyes and sighed.

"They're working on it… they'll do the best they can."

* * *

Alex gave a frustrated sigh as he continued to try and repair the hole in his best friends shoulder. While he was working on her shoulder, Spike was busy trying to evacuate the poison in her system. Both of them knew they only had a matter of time before Claire was gone, and they couldn't take any chances.

"Damn it… the wound is infected. If I had gotten to her quicker…" Alex muttered.

"Not much better on my end, I've gotten most of it out, but it seems a stream of it is heading to her heart at a rapid pace," Spike said. Alex sighed and was finally able to clear out the wound of infection.

"Alright, the infection is cleared out. All I have to do is…" Alex stopped when the heart monitor began to go crazy, and her stats began to drop. Alex felt the color drain from his face and he turned back to her.

"The poison is going to reach her heart!" Spike exclaimed. Alex reached forward and pressed a button.

"Doctor Peterson, we need help, now!" Alex turned back to Claire and gave her CPR.

"What will he do?" Spike asked, he was still trying to get as much poison out of her system as possible.

"Liam is a general doctor, when he should be specializing in cardio. If anyone can fix her heart, he can." The doors opened and Liam walked in.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Her heart is about to be attacked by a strong poison, it might be damaged." Alex had to say no more before Liam went to work, grabbing a hypo spray and mixing a few concoctions. Spike just watched the man work.

"Will that work?" he asked. Liam scoffed.

"Of course it will work. There is a serum to repair damage to the heart, one to protect it from infection, and one to kill the poison," Liam said. Before anyone could say anything else, the heart monitor flat lined and all three men paused.

"LIAM!"

* * *

Ryan gave a sigh as he sat down on a bed not far from the operating room. He had been extremely worried when Alex and Spike had been in there for a good hour, but now was panicking when Liam went in as well. The condition she had arrived was quite horrible, and even a few doctors looked doubtful of her recovery.

He glanced over at the entrance doors, just in time to see Jim Kirk walk in, McCoy following behind him. The captain's hands were bandaged up, and he seemed to be quite pale. Jim looked around and upon seeing Ryan's face, seemed to frown even more.

"Where is she?" Jim asked. Ryan gestured to the surgical room.

"Still in there… things were quiet until they called Liam in… that was thirty minutes ago," Ryan said. Jim gave a frustrated sigh and ran a bandaged hand over his face.

"Jim, take it easy. Sure the holes are closed, but you still need a day before your hands are healed," McCoy snapped. Jim shot him a look and glanced back at the door just in time for Alex and Spike to walk out of it.

"How is she?" Ryan asked. Alex sighed and glanced over at Jim before looking back at Ryan.

"She was in really bad shape. The poison spread through about eighty-seven percent of her body, it was a shock that she stayed alive as long as she did. A few of her organs were severely damaged, but we were able to repair them. Thankfully we didn't have to do any surgery," Alex said.

"You didn't?" McCoy asked. Alex shook his head.

"No, sir. We thought the poison might have ruptured the appendix, but it seemed that she already had it taken out." Ryan nodded and took a deep breath.

"When she was nine she had it taken out… what about the poison or her shoulder?" Ryan asked.

"The poison did a number on her, but we got it all out. She'll be weak for a couple of days, maybe even weeks, but she will recover. Liam had to come in and do some work on her heart before the poison could damage it too bad, but again, she'll have to recover…" Alex trailed off and Ryan looked at him expectantly.

"What… what about her shoulder?" he asked. McCoy stood back and was prepared for the worst, Jim just wanted to know if she was going to be alright. When Alex didn't reply, Spike cleared his throat.

"Alex was able to repair Blondies- erm… Doctor Conaway's shoulder…" Alex sighed.

"It was… difficult. Though I repaired the shoulder, there is a chance it won't heal one-hundred percent." Jim stepped forward.

"What do you mean? Will she be able to use it? She isn't paralyzed, is she?" Alex and Spike both shook their head.

"No! No, she'll be able to move it. There might not be anything wrong with it. There is just a chance that it… will be bothersome." Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Bothersome? Like… an itch or something?"

"Something like that… it's like a small ache. Like when you use a limb or muscle too much it aches… like that." Ryan let out a sigh of relief that his sister was going to be okay, but frowned at the fact that she was probably going to live the rest of her life with pain.

"When will she wake up?" he asked. Alex shrugged.

"I don't know… we just have to sit and wait for her body to recover before she wakes up." The second he spoke, the doors opened and Liam walked out and walked over to them.

"She'll be fine… just a rather lengthy recovery time. She might be out for a week at the most," Liam told them.

"And if she hasn't woken up within a week?" Jim asked. All three doctors exchanged looks and frowned.

"We hope it won't come to that…" Ryan sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"May I see here now?" he asked. Alex nodded.

"Yeah… best keep it to family for now though," he replied, looking at Jim. Jim nodded and sat down on a spare chair. Ryan sighed and walked into the room and gazed upon his sister. She was deathly pale, and even had a few things hooked up to her. He sat down on the bed and took a hold of her hand.

"Get better… please get better… I can't lose you, not after everything just started to get better," he whispered. His only reply was that of the heart monitor, giving a steady beat and showing that his sister was alive.

_

* * *

_

And to the reviews.

_**HistoryNerd  
**__**Raxsah: **__Jim and Claire married? What? I think they should at least start dating again. Jeez, you're skippin a couple steps there. Hahahahahaa :D  
__**Jeck: **__Woah buddy, I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself there. People don't just fall and love and get married right away. That would kind of be why there are so many divorces today. Look what happened to Ryan and Colleen. Bitch died._

_**WhatsGoingOn  
**__**Jeck: **__Patience. That is all.  
__**Raxsah: **__Good things come to those who wait. Don't worry, things happen the way they are meant to happen._

_**Yayyou  
**__**Raxsah: **__Um… no. Never even crossed my mind. Though it would piss Jim off; I don't think McCoy would do that to his best friend. Not unless he was drunk off his ass.  
__**Jeck: **__Ewww… I just can't see McCoy and Claire together. He's too old for her and she knows it. She's got better standards (sorry McCoy, but she does). Ehh… I'm pretty sure you feel bad for all the characters at some point. Lol_

_**nickiR0x  
**__**Jeck: **__I'm glad someone understands! lol I was afraid the Liam/Alex fangirls out there were going to attack us! Not fun. They are second in scariness only to the Twilight fangirls. Just saying. Hmmm… I completely understand what you're saying. If we hadn't already written the story, I'm sure we would go back and talk about that, but I think you'll enjoy what we've done with it. Hey, we (well, I) love your suggestions. And I love tacos. :3  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, if it wasn't totally finished, we would definitely think it over and possibly add a few ideas in there. However, we're not going back. It's done and we're leaving it like that. We were afraid that people would hate us once people saw that Liam and Alex weren't together. We're glad you're stickin through it._

_**Lintered  
**__**Raxsah: **__I think we suffer from major ADD, we just haven't been tested that. I won't let it turn into a crack fic though. It's just too weird to write. I hope this much Kirk will hold you over for a bit, there shall be more next chapter. I promise. Jeck is just jealous that I'm mooching off my parents like all college kids should. Sorry for the late update, life get's in the way too much. We're trying to work with it.  
__**Jeck: **__Wow, honestly I didn't even notice that… I MEAN, of course! It was our plan all along! HA HA HA HA! I can assure you that this isn't a crack fic (though I'd be lying if I said I didn't try ;3). My parents actually came up for parents weekend and bought me shit tons of bagels! It makes me happy. We are in fact finished the story. But we enjoy teasing you. And I feel kind of bad since you asked for an update sooner and we're posting this later. But we'll hopefully be back on track this Sunday._

_**SWfangirl21  
**__**Jeck: **__Well, the mind control is obviously working then. :3 You're right, it would change everything. Everything we already wrote. Lol But seriously, we felt that Jim was the most likely person to cheat. So that's why he didn't. I mean really, repetitive much? He cheats in like every story people write him in. Liam has issues with cheating which won't be explained until our new story. But yeah, it will explain why he's got such a problem with it and it'll make sense why he stays angry at Alex for such a long time. Ryan isn't supposed to be a douche, he just comes off like one. A lot. Yeah, he's kind of a douche. Let's see what the evil minds of Jeck and Raxsah have in store for Ryan and Anna, shall we? What's a man slore? Is this new slang I haven't heard? That's what I get for going to college in Bumblefuck… Surprisingly, Spock is our comic relief. Well… Spock and Oliver. Mr. Ruffles will be revealed in time… well, not for a really long time. But he will be! Sorry this one took so long, but we'll be back on schedule again (hopefully). Love you too! :3 College is… fun, sure. Yeah… lol  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, As interesting as it would have been to have Alex and Claire having a baby, it never would have worked. A pregnant Claire is not a happy Jim. Liam is stubborn, but he has a bit of a right to be. Poor Alex, we need to stop giving him pudding. I don't know why Ryan randomly becomes an ass… but he does. Oh well, hopefully Anna will fix him up. Just for the record, I knew what a Slore was… took me a little while, but I got it before Jeck. You have to credit Jeck with that line from Spock though, it was all her. And isn't not knowing who Mr. Ruffles is more fun? I think it's like a mystery. I like College… mostly. Some people need to be shot in the knee, but for the most port it's awesome. :D Can't way to hear from you later._

_Alright… so we sort of forgot to add a rant down here, seeing as it's Wednesday night and we're kind of running around. Just take our word that there would be a moderately interesting conversation right around here. Till next time dears!_


	21. Sweet Dreams

_**Jeck:** Hey look, we're back on schedule!_  
_**Raxsah:** Yes, for now. Might as well post these as we can right?_  
_**Jeck:** Absolutely! Even if we only posted a new chapter like 4 days ago. But I'm pretty sure this is my favorite chapter, just saying._  
_**Raxsah:** This is a good one. I'm not sure it's my favorite though… Hmm, I think it ranks the top five though. Maybe that's because of the Lemon._  
_**Jeck: **Well, the lemon isn't my favorite. All the other stuff is. All of our Liam and Alex fangirls will really enjoy this chapter too._  
_**Raxsah:** Word. So… Hmm… I guess the only other thing we are up to is writing that mini story for Parallel Days… Wow, we're boring._  
_**Jeck:** We're also college students. So boring with an excuse. Shall we change that? (the boring part, not the college students part)_  
_**Raxsah:** I wish, I should get my license before I worry about the being boring part._  
_**Jeck:** Well, we'll see how you do this week. EVERYONE WISH RAXSAH GOOD LUCK! Jeck has asked nicely. :3_  
_**Raxsah:** Alright, let's get to the fun part, the story. Like we've said, there are some graphical parts in this chapter. But not to worry, we did it for your pleasure. :D_  
_**Jeck:** And if you would like more pleasure, just hit me up. ;D_  
_**Raxsah:**… words… are not enough. Enjoy the story folks!_

* * *

**Chapter 21: Sweet Dreams**

* * *

Anna gave a sigh as she placed a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. He looked up and forced a smile upon his face, while he reached up and placed a hand on her hand. He then looked back to Claire, who was still asleep.

"Alex is beginning to get worried. He's afraid that the poison might have hit her brain without them knowing," Ryan said. Anna pressed her lips together and kissed the top of his head. She was secretly glad that she had made him take a shower earlier, or else his hair would have been unbearably greasy.

"It is not a week yet, she still has one more day…" Ryan frowned and let his eyes trace over her sister's features once more. She wasn't as pale as she had been a few days ago, but she didn't look healthy yet either. Ryan let out a shaky breath and looked back to Anna.

"Is Jim still outside?" he asked. Anna shook her head.

"McCoy told him that he would be allowed back a few hours after she woke up. He has a ship to run…" Ryan nodded and looked at the clock.

"She will wake up within the next few hours… she has to," he whispered.

"She's going to wake up when she wants…" A weak voice spoke. Both Ryan and Anna looked to the bed, where they saw Claire shift slightly and open her eyes. Ryan's eyes went wide and he held her face in his hands.

"Claire… you're really awake?" he asked. She blinked a few times before looking around.

"Either that, or I'm having a very realistic dream," she concluded. Anna chuckled and walked to the door, calling Alex in. Ryan leaned forward and kissed the top of her head and gave a sigh of relief.

"I hope you know that you are never going on an away mission ever again," he whispered. She smiled and nodded.

"I didn't think so…" Ryan pulled away just in time for Alex and McCoy to walk in the room. McCoy began to check over her charts, while Alex just looked at the clock, then back to Claire.

"Cutting it a bit close… aren't you?" he asked. Claire just shot him a look and glanced at McCoy, who finished looking at her chart and was looking at her.

"How do you feel?" he asked. Claire thought it over and looked at her fingers, realizing that her fingers were healed.

"Fine… I'm really thirsty, and I still feel a little weak. My shoulder is really stiff too," she confessed. McCoy nodded and lifted the bandage, his eyes assessing the rather large scar. Claire also saw it and frowned.

"Because of the poison, it didn't quite heal right… you'll have a scar there, and possibly have a dull pain on occasion in your shoulder," Alex told her. Claire nodded and looked at her brother.

"How long have I been out?" she asked. Ryan ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Almost a week…" he admitted. Her eyes went wide, and her good arm reached up to ran a hand over her face.

"Wow… I've been asleep a damn week and I'm still tired," she mumbled. Alex chuckled and moved her hurt shoulder, helping her get used to it.

"It's common. We'd like to keep you up for a couple more hours. Can you move your arm on your own?" he asked. Claire moved her arm on her own, surprised at how well she was able to move it. McCoy wrote a few things on her chart then looked back down at her.

"I'll be back in a few hours to make sure you can get back to sleep… try not to do anything stressful," McCoy said, turning around and walking out. Alex gave her a smile before turning around and leaving. Claire paused before turning toward her brother.

"So… what'd I miss?"

* * *

Jim walked into sickbay and took a glance around, his eyes landing on Claire's sleeping form. He heard she had woken up, and had hoped to catch her when her brother wasn't there, but it seemed the only time her brother left, was when she had fallen asleep. He glanced around and saw that only McCoy was on duty, and he was currently passed out at his desk.

Jim walked over to her bed and sat down on the chair, his eyes tracing over her features. Her color had return a bit, but she still didn't look quite like herself yet. He hesitantly reached out and took a hold of her hand, savoring the fact that it was now warm, and not freezing cool like it had been a couple days ago. He squeezed her hand before leaning down and pressing his lips to her knuckles.

"Hmm…" a small voice said in content. He looked up and saw her stir, her hand never leaving his. He smiled when her grey eyes met his tired blue, and she looked confused for a moment before she smiled back.

"Hey…" he said softly. She gripped his hand.

"Hi." He looked down at her hand and let his thumb lightly caress her skin. Claire just watched as he seemed to get lost in his own world. Her heart seemed to lift just upon seeing him, and if she wasn't so tired, she would have grabbed him by his shirt and kissed him. However, she seemed content enough to simply gaze upon him as he tried to comprehend the fact that she was finally alive and well. He took a deep breath and looked back up at her.

"You almost died… right in my arms. You were practically gone," Jim told her sadly. Claire paused as the memory of the pit came back to mind, then frowned. She remembered saying she loved him, but never heard his reply, if he did reply.

"Jim…" he sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"I tell you I love you and you almost die, how is that a fair trade?" he asked. Her hand gripped on his as his words sunk it.

"I'm sorry… for everything. I shouldn't have… I messed up." He sighed and moved so he was sitting on the bed.

"Claire… it takes two people to end a relationship like that. I was blaming you for something that wasn't your fault. I was just so mad, at Riley, at myself… at the son of a bitch who hurt you. Yet, I took it out on you, the one person I wasn't really mad at. I left you out to dry… I don't know how you still love me," he told her. He reached out and let one hand rest on her cheek, where a tear had escaped her eyes.

"I will always love you… I don't think I could stop if I wanted to," she confessed. A smile broke out on his lips and he leaned down, pressing his lips on her forehead. He let them linger for a long moment before pressing his own forehead against hers.

"I love you, please forgive me," he pleaded. She raised her good hand to trace over his cheek.

"Only if you forgive me…" he nodded and kissed her temple. He didn't want to kiss her lips. He was afraid that if he did he wouldn't be able to control himself, and she was still hurting quite a bit. Claire was too busy thanking whatever higher being there was out there for bringing him back to her to care.

"I should let you get some sleep…" he said. She shook her head and took hold of his hand.

"Please don't leave me… I don't want to wake up from a nightmare alone," she told him. He frowned but nodded.

"Okay… I'll stay." She smiled softly and moved over on the medical bed, giving Jim enough room to lay on his side next to her. Claire moved so she wasn't laying on her bad shoulder, and let Jim pull her closer to him. Their chests touched and Jim let his chin rest on top of her head, while she snuggled closer to his warmth. She helped place some of her medical covers over him and almost cried from joy.

"I missed you… so much," She told him, her fingers lightly caressing his shirt. Jim carefully pulled her closer and rubbed her arm.

"I missed you too," was the last remark she heard before falling into a nightmare-less dream.

* * *

"What am I supposed to do with two weeks leave? We're not on shore leave… I'm just going to be stuck in my room!" Claire argued.

"Find a hobby, painting, sewing, reading, or watch television. Either way, you can't work. You need rest," McCoy told her. Claire sighed and glared at him.

"But-"

"Jesus, Conaway… you are given leave, enjoy it. Spend time with your brother or with Jim." Claire blushed at the last part and sighed.

"You're just worried I'm going to screw up," she snapped. McCoy turned to her and fixed her with a glare.

"Conaway, I'm not going to tell you again; get out of here." Claire sighed and walked out of sickbay.

"Hey, they finally let you out?" a voice called. Claire turned and smiled up at her brother.

"Seems like it, they're not letting me back in though," she told him. Ryan chuckled and pulled her into a hug.

"Well, at least you're out… it's a little past dinner, did you want to get something to eat?" he asked. Claire thought about it before shaking her head.

"No… I kind of want to enjoy my room. I want to see my puppy, too…" Ryan nodded and lead her to the lift.

"Kirk was looking for you earlier," Ryan stated. The color drained from her face a bit as they continued walking. Claire and Jim had been caught the following morning a few days ago by McCoy, who gave them a long lecture. After a few hours of getting yelled at, they asked him to keep quiet about what the older man had seen. Claire wanted to tell her brother first, and she wanted to find the right time to do so. Ryan was less than pleased with the captain, and she knew if she just sprung on him the fact that they were together once more, he would have flipped.

"Claire?" Ryan asked. Claire jumped and looked up at her brother.

"Yeah?" Ryan raised an eyebrow and continued to look down at his sister.

"You didn't hear a word I said." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Uh… I'm sorry, I got distracted…" she confessed. He sighed and stopped at the lift.

"I need to head to security… try and get some sleep." She nodded and kissed his cheek.

"Okay… night, Ryan." He smiled and ruffled her hair before leaving. She gave a small sigh of relief before turning to the lift and pressed a button. While she waited, she ran a hand through her hair, happy that she was able to get a shower that morning. Nurse Chapel had even brought her shampoo from her room.

The doors opened and she was surprised to see Jim and Spock in the lift, looking over a data pad. The moment the doors opened, Jim looked up and smiled, causing Spock to look up as well. There was a moment of silence between the three of them before Spock spoke.

"I suppose I shall leave. Goodnight, Jim… Doctor." Claire gave a nod and moved so he could walk past her. Jim gave a small wave to Spock as she stepped into the lift, and the two of them were silent as the door closed.

Not even a few seconds after the lift began to move once more, Jim reached out and pressed the stop button, halting them from any intrusions. Claire just leaned back against the walls of the lift, while the captain looked to be collecting himself. He then turned around and took a couple steps toward her.

"Claire…" he said. Claire's eyes seemed to light up upon seeing him. Even though they had only seen each other a couple of days ago, she felt her old self coming back at a rapid pace.

"Jim," she replied. He took another step toward her and leaned forward, placing a hand on each side of her face to brace himself.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked. She smiled and nodded.

"Much better." He smiled and let his eyes trace over her, as if he had never seen her before in his life. One hand reached over and caressed her cheek, stopping at her chin and tilting her head up slightly.

"Did you know I can't remember the last time I kissed you?" he asked. Claire blinked and tried to think back.

"I believe it was the morning that…" she trailed off and looked down. Jim sighed and tilted her head back up so he could meet her grey eyes.

"I remember… I also remember what happened that morning, and the night before." Claire's cheeks tinted to a dark red, and he could practically feel the heat radiating off her face.

"Yes… I remember that as well…" she agreed. He smiled and stepped closer, his body inches away from hers. He met her eyes before his gaze dropped to her lips, as if drawn to them. Claire also let her gaze drop to his lips, but closed her eyes when he gently pressed them to hers. She felt her heart skip a beat, and her stomach was in the middle of an acrobatic act. Her skin felt as though on fire as he leaned into the kiss a little more.

She reached up and let one hand tangle into his hair, while the other rested at the base of his neck. His own hand stayed on her cheek while his lips moved in sync with hers, the other wrapped around her waist and pulled her to him. His tongue slipped through her rosy lips and lightly massaged her own, causing a moan to escape her throat. It had been far too long since she had felt the way she did in that moment. His hand traveled up her waist and traveled under her tee-shirt, his coarse fingers causing her to shiver. She responded by pulling herself closer to him, his hips perfectly in line with her own. A low groan broke free from the captain's mouth as he placed his leg in-between hers. She broke free from her lips and moaned.

"Jim…" she breathed, her body enjoying the feeling of his leg being there to cause friction. Jim simply lowered his head to her neck and kissed down to her collar, where his teeth lightly scrapped the sensitive skin. Unconsciously, she began to rub against his leg as one of his hands traveled over her abdomen. She pulled his lips away from her neck and kissed him feverishly, her hands traveling up his shirt and tracing the abs that she had missed dearly. Jim pulled away and took in a deep breath.

"Claire… not here," he hissed, trying to ignore how uncomfortable his pants had suddenly become. She tangle both her hands in his hair and kissed from his jaw to his earlobe, where she bit very lightly.

"I need you, _James._" Jim groaned and hit the go button, knowing that the lift was taking them to her room. Claire kissed his earlobe once more, and kissed down to a sensitive spot on his neck, which caused his grip on her waist to tighten. The doors opened and Jim pulled her out of the lift, practically running down the hallway to her room. Claire quickly opened the door and grabbed him by his uniform shirt and dragged him into the room. He leaned down to capture her lips, but was stopped by a loud bark. The interruption caused both of them to groan and Claire turned to her dog, who was growling at Jim.

"Damnit, Rocky!" she hissed. Jim sighed and glared at the dog. Though he was a dog lover at heart, this dog had it out to get him.

"I swear he hates me…" Jim told her. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the dog by his collar and put him in the bathroom. She wasn't worried about the barking, since the bathroom was sound proof. She turned around and was pushed up against the locked door, not that she minded. Jim simply pressed his lips onto hers, pouring more passion into each fluid motion than he even thought possible. Claire groaned and reached for his shirt, lifting it so it was halfway up his body. He complied and broke away from her long enough to slip his shirt off and expose his chest to her. She pulled him to her and raked her nails lightly down his chest, causing a moan to emit from him.

Claire wasted no time taking her shirt off, and throwing it to the ground, not to far from Jim's. She expected Jim to take her bra off, but was surprised when he stopped and simply stared at her shoulder. It was only then when she realized he was staring at her scar. The move made her self conscious and she wished she had kept her shirt on. Jim simply reached out and let his fingers trace over it.

"They couldn't get rid of it…" she said after a minute. He nodded and looked back up at her.

"Does it hurt?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No…" He nodded and leaned down, his lips sensually kissing the scar, and then traveling down so he was kissing the top of her breasts. He reached around and unhooked her bra, and she slipped it off and let it fall to the floor. His lips traveled lower and gently took a nipple into his mouth, while his hands pulled her closer to him. She sighed in content and ran her hands through his hair. One hand reached from behind and tended to her other breast, and she lowered her hands to her jeans and quickly unbuttoned them. As much as she loved the moment they were having, she had gone far too long without feeling him inside her, and she was eager to feel him once again. Jim laughed and pulled away from her chest.

"Eager are we?" he asked, his hands helping her get her jeans off. She slipped her flip-flops off and continued to help Jim get her pants off. Once they were completely off, he quickly unbuckled his own pants, but did not take them off.

"I've missed you… all of you," she told him. Her own cheeks burned at the realization of what she had said. He laughed and kissed her breast once more before letting his lips travel down her body, stopping to leave sensual kisses on certain parts of her body. His lips finally reached her underwear and he slowly pulled it off her. Jim suddenly grabbed her leg and let it rest on his shoulder, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

"What are you-" she stopped speaking and simply gasped upon feeling his tongue caress the most sensitive part of her body. The sensation caused her toes to curl and she threw her head back, ignoring the pain the erupted from hitting the solid door behind her. Her hands were in his hair, and she bit her lip to stop the very loud moan that was begging to escape her lips.

"J-Jim…" she breathed when she felt his tongue enter her. She loved the feeling his tongue was giving her, but she wanted more, she also didn't want the night to be just about her. Jim pulled away from her and stood, his lips immediately crashing onto hers. Her hands went to his pants and she unbuttoned them, pulling them down along with his boxers. Jim stepped out of them and kicked them along with his boots, which he had taken off with his socks earlier, to the side. He grabbed her thighs and urged them up. Claire wrapped her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist, moaning at the feeling of his hard member against her womanhood.

"Claire…" Jim breathed. He began kissing her neck and turned around, leading her back to the bed and placing her down gently. Claire flipped them so she was on top and kissed him deeply, her tongue lightly flicking his own. He moaned and almost whined when she pulled away and kissed down his neck. She stopped at his own nipples and flicked them with her tongue before giving a light suck. Jim ran his hands through her hair as she went lower, and he froze when she gave a sensual kiss right above his groin. He watched her carefully, his eyes growing darker as she lowered her lips to his erect member, and cried out when her mouth came down upon it.

"Holy shit!" he cursed, his grip on her hair tightening. Claire simply chuckled, which only caused him to groan once more. Her head slowly bobbed up and down, causing his member to grow harder with each stroke of her tongue. She continued to tantalize him further with a few tricks, until he pulled her away from his crotch and flipped them so he was on top once more. His lips crashed upon hers and he used his hands to slowly spread her legs. She complied and moaned at the feeling of him at her entrance. Jim moved forward hesitantly, but didn't enter her just yet. He pulled away from her lips and pressed his forehead against hers.

"I love you… God, I fucking love you," he told her. She smiled and kissed him deeply.

"I fucking love you too…" she said quietly. Jim smiled and entered her, not going as slow as he had before. She gasped and grabbed onto the sheets under her. Jim let out a throaty growl into her neck, savoring the feeling of being surrounded by her. Sex was just not the same if it wasn't with her.

Claire moved first, causing Jim to pick up the pace a bit. One hand was by her head, keeping him supported, while the other ran down her body. Their hips met each other in sync, and Claire felt the pressure in her lower abdomen begin to increase. She placed her mouth on his, and their tongues began to wrestle for dominance. Unfortunately, for Claire, Jim knew just where to hit in order for her writhe in pleasure. He hit the spot and she gave a loud moan into his mouth before pulling away from him.

"Mmm…Harder… Oh God," she groaned. Jim pulled almost all the way out before slamming back into her, making sure he hit her sweet spot. The sensation caused her to let out a small scream, and she buried her face in his sweat covered neck in order to muffle the sound. Jim gave her a few light thrusts, while Claire lightly kissed his neck, and began sucking on his sweet spot. Jim pulled out and rammed into her again, causing to lightly bite down on his neck. Jim groaned and repeated the action a couple times. The pressure in her lower abdomen seemed to fill her as she came closer and closer to her release. The tension she felt was almost too much to bare before she threw her head back cried.

"Holy shit… Jim!" she practically shouted. The pressure in her lower half seemed to explode, and her body was thrown into a sea of euphoria. Her walls clenched around him and he felt his insides practically explode as he came with her. He buried his face in her shoulder and gripped her waist tightly.

"Oh God, Claire!" he screamed, though his voice was muffled. He gave a couple last trusts before he collapsed on top of her, just as she came down from her own orgasm. Both of them continued to breathe heavily for a few long moments before Jim kissed her deeply. He pulled away and gave her a quick and sensual kiss before pulling away and looking down at her.

"I love you…" he whispered, his thumb caressing her cheek. She smiled and ran her hands through his hair.

"I love you too… " Jim smiled and gently pulled out of her before rolling over and slipping under the covers. Claire joined him and moved so her head was resting on his chest, which was still a bit sweaty. Jim pulled her closer and let his chin rest on top of her head. They laid in silence for a few minutes, her fingers tracing light circles in his skin. He continued to look down at her and smiled lightly. Words could not describe how happy he was to have her back in his arms.

"Jim…" she whispered. He looked down at her and smiled.

"Yes?" he asked. She looked up at him and smiled softly.

"I'm so happy we're back together," she confessed. His smile widened and he kissed the top of her head.

"Me too…"

* * *

Consciousness slowly came to her as she realized someone was tracing an outline on her back shoulder. The feeling was not unwelcoming, but was enough to stir her just the same. She opened her eyes and looked over to see Jim using one arm to prop himself up, while his free hand traced over her shoulder.

"Morning…" he greeted. She smiled and kept her head on the pillow. Sometime during the night she had broken away from him and laid on her stomach, giving him full access to her back.

"Morning." Jim smiled lightly and continued to move his finger on her back shoulder. She glanced over and saw that he was tracing the outline of her tattoo. The alien had stuck the sword in her right shoulder, leaving her shoulder with her tattoo unharmed.

"When did you get this?" he asked. She paused to think it over before sighing.

"Almost two weeks ago, right before the away mission. I got drunk with Alex and we decided a tattoo would be fun," she said. He nodded.

"Why a butterfly? And why go through the trouble of making it a different color? I thought that hurt more?" She nodded.

"It does… you have no idea." He chuckled and continued to watch her.

"So… why?" he asked. She sighed and buried her head in the pillow, trying to remember why she got the damn thing, before turning back to him.

"I got a butterfly because I was feeling trapped, like I was in a cocoon, or chrysalis… which ever one. I just wanted to break out and become normal again. I wanted to fly as far away from where I was and be free. The sad thing is, I had felt that way so many times before, it was depressing me. I figured a butterfly expressed how I was feeling, and how I had felt. I thought maybe if I put one on my body… I could finally be free…" Jim nodded and looked down at the tattoo before looking back at her.

"And the color?" he asked. She blushed and hid her face in the pillow before mustering the courage to speak once more.

"It's the color of your eyes." Jim smiled widely and moved so he was leaning over her. He gently bent down and pressed his lips onto her shoulder, giving the skin a sensual kiss before moving away and laid back in his previous position.

"I love you…" he whispered, reached out to caress her cheek. She smiled and kissed his hand.

"I love you too."

* * *

Anna glanced up at up at Ryan as he sat down next to her and across from his sister. She didn't fail to notice the light in Claire's eyes and the chipper mood she was suddenly in. Anna doubted that Ryan knew the reason for her mood, but Anna was well aware. Claire gave a yawn and took a bite from her breakfast.

"I love pancakes," she muttered, a small smile on her face.

"You're in a really good mood," Rupert commented. Anna shot Claire with a knowing look, which was ignored, but still noticed.

"I guess I just woke up on the right sight of the bed," Claire concluded. Anna chuckled into her glass of milk as Rupert rolled his eyes. Everyone at the table appeared to know about the happily reunited couple, except Ryan.

"Guys!" Everyone looked up as Liam rushed over to the table with a worried look on his face. Claire felt her heart stop as the thought of something happening to Jim crossed her mind, but relaxed when she saw Jim entered the café with Sulu.

"What's up, Liam?" Rupert asked as he stopped next to the table.

"You know Greg in the communications department? He died in his sleep last night!" He informed them. Ryan jumped to his feet.

"Really? What room is he in? I should go investigate just in case it wasn't an accident," he said as he turned to leave, but Liam grabbed his shirt.

"Actually, it wasn't an accident. Greg was completely healthy and only twenty-five years old. Spock and McCoy are looking into it now, but they're planning on making some kind of announcement after breakfast," he informed them. Ryan paused a moment before sitting back down.

"Well, I guess they don't really need me yet. And I don't mind finishing my waffles first anyway," he joked as he wrapped one arm around Anna and used the other to fork another chunk of waffle into his mouth. Claire smiled at the light-hearted mood of the table, even if a man just died.

"Yeah, I've got to get back to sickbay and take over for Alex. He's been working graveyard shifts all week," Liam said. Claire raised an eyebrow, a small ray of hope forming.

"Oh, are you and Alex talking again?" She asked. Her wishful thinking was shut down as Liam gave her a sad look.

"No, McCoy told me." Without another word, Liam left the café. Ryan took another bite of his waffle as everyone else let their eyes follow the depressed Liam out of the room.

"Well, that's a bummer," he stated. Anna shot him a mini glare while Claire shrugged. Despite her best friends still fighting, she couldn't help the overwhelming pure joy she felt after her night with Jim. No, there was nothing to destroy her bad mood.

* * *

"We've determined the man's death," McCoy told everyone as he entered sickbay. His sickbay. Claire and Liam looked up from their spot in the corner of the room as McCoy glared at her. "Conaway, what are you doing here?"

"Getting a check-up. So what caused his death?" Claire asked curiously. Spike's head popped out of one of the back rooms.

"It wasn't me, just to let you know." Claire shot him a look, and he retreated into the back room once more. She rolled her eyes and looked back at McCoy, who was shooting a look at her.

"I said no working," He stated firmly.

"I'm not working… I'm listening. I'm not going to perform surgery on anyone. Can I please listen… please?" McCoy shot her another look and looked back to the rest of the doctors.

"We have reason to believe that something entered his brain and lulled him to sleep." Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Like a sleep fairy?" he asked.

"An evil sleep fairy," Claire added.

"Conaway, you can listen, but you need to keep your comments quiet." Claire rolled her eyes and looked back to Liam, who was looking at her shoulder.

"So… when they lulled him to sleep… what happened?" Sophie asked.

"I'm not quite sure what happens within the actual dream, but I assume that the alien gives the person a reason to stay asleep. The further the mind get's into the dream, the further the body gets away with life." Claire looked over at Alex, who looked as though he was going to pass out, and then looked back at Liam, who was staring at his ex-boyfriend as well.

"So… we just have to tell the entire crew to stay awake until we figure this thing out?" Jackson asked.

"It's never going to happen. So many people just worked graveyard shift, they are exhausted. You're going to need a bloody miracle drug," Spike told them. McCoy sighed and looked around.

"I suppose we've just got to warn the captain, and go from there. Jim shall decide how we tell the crew and where we go from there." Claire closed her eyes as she realized this meant the crew would be in more danger than normal. She was brought back to reality when a small pain shot through her shoulder and she flinched.

"Ouch, that hurt," she snapped. Liam sighed and messaged her shoulder joint.

"That wound did a number on your shoulder. How bad did it hurt?" he asked.

"It's fine… just startled me. This is the first time it's hurt." Liam sighed and nodded.

"Alright… I guess it's best if you leave, before McCoy locks you in your room," Liam said, glancing at McCoy. Claire sighed and got off the bed, taking a look around sickbay.

"The sad thing is… I don't know where to go," she confessed. Liam shrugged.

"Grab a book, read… you haven't done that in a while," he told her. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Man… I have no hobbies…" Liam chuckled and put away his supplies.

"Work is your hobby, as sad as it sounds. Just get a few new books and find a quiet place to read… you should be fine." Claire nodded and left sickbay, not wanting to get in anymore trouble than she already was. She knew she was stuck with trying to find something that would keep he awake and entertained for a few hours.

* * *

"You know how long it took me to find you?" a voice asked. Claire looked up from her book and smiled at her boyfriend, as he entered the shuttle.

"I needed to find a quiet place to read… The whole ship went crazy after you made the announcement of what happened." Jim sighed and sat next to her on the floor.

"I know… they've calmed down a bit now though… enough for me to come and find you," He told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"You know that no one can sleep until we figure this out… right?" Jim nodded.

"I didn't make the decision lightly, but I had no choice. We don't know what we're dealing with and we don't know how to save the crew members who might be killed in their sleep. For now, no one sleeps," Jim explained. Claire nodded as cuddled closer to him.

"I guess the keeping each other awake rule makes sense then. Any ideas on how we can stay awake?" She asked as her voice became laced in seduction, snapping her book shut.

"Hmmm… I might have a few…" He said in his own seductive voice, pulling Claire into his lap and crashing his lips against hers. They might have spent the night together the night before, but Jim just couldn't get enough of this blonde haired angel. It felt so good to hold her in his arms again.

* * *

"Hey babe," Ryan said, propping himself up against the wall with his elbow. Anna looked over to the doorway he was standing in and smiled.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, getting up from her desk of work and crossing the room to her boyfriend.

"Well, Jim suggested that we all pair up and try to stay awake so we avoid dying in our sleep. Perhaps you'd be up for a night of not sleeping?" He asked. Anna chuckled and nodded.

"Sounds like a good night to me. Let me just finish up my paperwork…" Anna went to turned around, but Ryan reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You're not going anywhere!" He told her, tickling her sides. Anna let out a squeal as she writhed in his arms, trying to get away from his fingers. Ryan couldn't help, but laugh at her predicament as he continued to assault her sides. Quickly thinking, Anna leaned up and captured Ryan's lips. Ryan's fingers stopped as he let his hands rest on Anna's curvy hips. Before he could register what happened, Anna's hands had reached out and begun their own assault on Ryan's ticklish sides.

"NO FAIR!" He cried out as he tried to hold back his uncontrollable laughter. Anna just smiled.

"All's fair in love and war." He grabbed her wrists and leaned down to capture her lips, pulling her against him. She sighed and fell into the kiss, letting him run his hands through her thick hair. He pulled away and smiled down at her, his grey eyes turning to dark stone.

"So… would you like me to escort you back to you room?" he asked. She looked back at her paperwork and then back at him.

"I'd love it… as long as you promise to come in for some fun later," she whispered. The smile on his face grew wider as one hand rested on the small of her back.

"Of course, if you're up to it." A light laugh escaped her lips as they left the security office and began walking down the hallway. He pulled her closer to him as they made their way to the lift.

"You have… condoms… right?" she whispered. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah… why? Are you on the shot?"

"Of course… but sometimes it doesn't work. No offense, but I really want to be married before I have a child." Ryan nodded and frowned.

"That was my original plan too." She frowned.

"Ryan, I'm sorry… I was just-"

"You don't have to explain Anna… it's fine," he assured her. She nodded, but still looked at him warily.

"Alright…" Ryan smiled and kissed her temple, and continued to lead her down the hallway. As they stood for the lift, he pulled her to him and let his nose take in her scent.

"I'm so glad you're my partner," he joked. Anna chuckled and nodded.

"I'm going to be honest, I thought you were going to pick Claire," she confessed. Ryan paused before pulling away slightly.

"Do you know who she is spending the night with?" he asked.

_Yes,_ Anna thought.

"Uh… I don't know. I think she'll be just fine though," Anna assured him. Ryan frowned and shot her a guilty look.

"I just want to check on her… I mean, I'll still spend the night with you. I can't just leave her alone…" Anna was sure she suddenly became white.

"Oh, I doubt you'll be able to find her, she kind of wanted to be alone."

"She said something about a shuttle bay, I'll check there." Ryan entered the lift and hit the button for the shuttle bay, and Anna held back an annoyed sigh. She was going to have to save that girl's ass, yet again.

* * *

"Have you seen my panties?" Jim simply smiled up at her from his spot on the floor, but said nothing. She had a long tee-shirt on, and that just covered butt and private area. She had her jeans in one hand, and her sneakers weren't too far from the door.

"No, but I like the non-panty look on you," he said, a seductive smirk on his face. Despite her heart skipping a beat, she gave him a glare.

"Jim… I need my panties…" she walked over to where he was and he grabbed her arm, pulling her down to the ground and rolling so he was on top of her.

"Not for what I have in mind," he whispered. He leaned down and pressed his lips onto hers, while slipping a hand under her shirt. Claire sighed and gave into the kiss. Her legs wrapped around his waist and pulled her closer to him. He groaned and kissed down to her neck.

"If we keep doing this, we might fall asleep doing it," she told him, using the small blanket they found on the shuttle to cover them more. Jim chuckled and pulled away.

"Believe me, you won't fall asleep…" Claire chuckled and let her fingers trace over the love bite she had given him the night before.

"Hmm… no, but eventually we'll tire ourselves out," she reminded him. He smiled and kissed her deeply once more. His tongue slipped through her lips and she arched her back so her body could touch his. He moaned and his hand traveled to her breasts and she pulled away to give a small sigh.

"Claire!" a voice echoed out. Both she and Jim froze upon hearing the voice and stared at each other. They heard footsteps and Claire slipped out from underneath him to peak through the window, only to see her brother looking around.

"Shit," she hissed quietly. Jim was right behind her and saw her brother too, but only pulled her back.

"Maybe, if we're quiet, he'll leave…" he whispered. They stayed silent for a moment longer before Ryan's voice ran out.

"Claire! You in here?" Claire groaned and grabbed her jeans, slipping them on without even bothering with underwear.

"Claire…" Jim whined, pulling her down to him. Claire placed a sensual kiss on his lips before breaking away.

"I'm sorry, I need to go." He sighed but kissed her neck sensually before giving her lips a quick kiss.

"Your room, later…" she nodded and stood up, slipping her sneakers on and running out of the shuttle.

"Hey, you looking for me?" she asked. She was glad she got out of there when she did; her brother was only a few feet away.

"Why didn't you answer me earlier?" Ryan asked. Claire paused and shrugged.

"Well…"

"You weren't dozing off, were you?" a voice asked. Claire looked over and smiled upon seeing Anna.

"Yeah… I'm sorry; I was reading and started to doze. My bad…" Ryan frowned.

"Come on… we should probably head to our rooms…" Anna nodded.

"Yup, you lead… Claire forgot her book; I'll wait with her while she gets it." Ryan nodded and walked out of the shuttle bay, and Claire quickly grabbed her book, which was strangely right by the door. She shot a smile into the shuttle and went back to Anna.

"Got my book," Claire said. Anna nodded and grabbed onto her arm when she went to walk back.

"I can understand why you want to keep what's going on quiet… but you need to tell Ryan, and you need to be a little more discreet," Anna told her. Claire furrowed her eyebrows and continued to watch her carefully.

"What are you talking about?" Anna shot her a knowing look and glanced back at the shuttle, a small smirk on her face.

"All the lifts have security cameras, Claire… you're just lucky it was me and not your brother watching the monitors," Anna whispered. Claire's eyes went wide and her face turned bright red.

"So… you won't tell him?" she asked. Anna shook her head.

"No, but you should tell him before you get caught, or pregnant…" Claire gave a frustrated huff.

"Why does everyone assume Jim's going to get me pregnant?" she asked softly. Anna gave a scoff and began walking out of the shuttle bay.

"Because it's going to happen… one day." Claire just scrunched her nose at the thought and walked with her to the lift, where Ryan was waiting patiently.

"Hey, we're back!" Anna said. Ryan smiled, but there was something in his eyes that made her think something else was up.

"So… I was thinking…" He said. Claire raised an eyebrow.

"I thought I smelled something burning…" Ryan shot her a look and looked down at his girlfriend.

"I was thinking, that maybe we should let Claire stay with us… until this get's settled." Anna's eyes went wide as she realized her prospect of an intimate moment with her boyfriend was disappearing.

"What?" Anna asked.

"Well… I just thought, since she needs a place to stay it would be nice. You don't mind, do you?" he asked. Anna pressed her lips together.

"No, of course not…" she replied through clenched teeth. Ryan leaned down and kissed her temple.

"Thank you," he whispered. Anna broke away and the three of them entered the lift.

"_Nada bueno, sobreprotector, estúpido hermano. Esto es totalmente arruinando mi noche de amor, decisiones. Lo juro por Dios, si ella no le dice pronto lo haré. Que me condenen si las cosas efectos tis otros también_." Anna snapped, going off into her own tangent. Ryan just blinked and gave a small cough.

"So… you're staying with us tonight," Ryan finalized. Claire took a deep breath and gathered her courage.

"I'm not staying with you guys," she told him sternly. Ryan raised an eyebrow and looked at his sister.

"Claire… you need to stay with someone, captain's orders," Ryan reminded her.

"Oh, she knows…" Anna mumbled. Ryan shot her a look before turning back to his sister.

"Just stay with us, I'm not going to leave you alone." Claire gave a sighed.

"Look, Ryan-"

"Please don't fight me, I know you want to be by yourself, but that's not an option. I want my sister to be alive, since I'm the only one who is available-"

"I'm with Jim…" Claire blurted out. Ryan paused an just stared for a few moments.

"Claire…" He started, but Anna smacked his arm. Ryan didn't even have to glance over at her to know that she was giving him a warning look.

"I'm not going to keep it from you any longer. I really love him and we've worked things out. Can't you just be happy for me?" Ryan sighed.

"Anna, can you give us a minute?" Anna glanced back and forth between the two siblings before she shrugged.

"_No hay nada más que puedo hacer aquí. Estaré esperando por usted cuando usted deje que su hermana viven su propia vida. Hombre, yo estaba esperando con el sexo también …" _She snapped before turning around to leave. Claire watched her retreating friend.

"Any idea what she said?" She asked. Ryan scratched his head as he too watched Anna disappear out of the lift.

"I heard something about you and sex," he stated. Claire winced at his words, remembering all too well the events from Valentine's Day, and rolled her eyes.

"Of course you would… "

"Listen Claire, I get that you love him and you're happy, but just think about how much he hurt you," he tried to reason. Claire crossed her arms and glared at her brother.

"It hurt me the most because I wasn't with him. I realize that what I'm doing is leaving me vulnerable, but sometimes that's what love is about," she explained. Ryan opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, but stopped. He wanted to snap back at her, to tell her that she was making a mistake, but he paused to rethink his words.

"Claire… just be careful. I worry about you. But, I suppose it's ultimately your decision. And I support it." Claire nodded and looked down.

"Thank you… I appreciate it," she muttered. Ryan nodded and they stood in a silence for a moment. "You should probably make sure she's alright…"

"Yeah… she sounded kind of pissed," Ryan agreed.

"I should go and try to find Alex and Liam… I never found out who they partnered up with," Claire said. Ryan nodded and kissed her cheek.

"Alright, be careful, I mean it." She nodded.

"Of course." Ryan watched her for a moment longer, then made his way out of the lift. He knew Anna was at her room, so decided he would try and talk to her. He made his way to the door and gave a light knock.

"Who is it?" her voice called, sounding a little irritated.

"Anna… it's me," he answered. There was a long pause before the door opened and Anna looked up at him, her arms crossed and an annoyed look on her face.

"What?" she hissed. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm sorry if I upset you. I didn't mean to." Anna rolled her eyes and leaned against the door frame.

"Really? How is it that you're going to offer me the prospect of having an amazingly euphoric night, then ruin it when you invite your sister… how messed up is that?" Ryan flinched and took a step toward her.

"I'm sorry… I really am. After what happened with her and Jim… it's just… difficult for me to let her go a little. I should have never done that to you," he told her. His hands rubbed her arms, and she slowly let her arms drop.

"I know… I understand, but I you should understand that, sometimes I want to be selfish and have you for my own," she told him. Ryan smiled and raised one hand, letting his hand rest on her neck.

"I understand now… and I'll be happy to give you that amazingly euphoric night… if you let me," he suggested. Anna smiled and let her arms wrap around his neck, and looked up at him.

"Hmm, I might need a little convincing," she teased. Ryan chuckled and leaned down, his lips finding hers immediately.

* * *

"Alex? Liam?" Claire called out as she entered sickbay. She heard a muffled conversation coming from one of the back room. She silently made her way over to slightly ajar door and listened closely to the argument.

"The hell you will!" Liam's familiar voiced be bellowed. Claire flinched at his words, but didn't move from her spot by the door.

"You can't just stay by yourself! What if you fall asleep?" Alex's voice called back. She could clearly make out Liam's trademark scoff.

"I'd rather fall asleep than be anywhere near you!" He yelled.

"I just care about you…" Alex snapped back.

"Yeah, you care so much about me that you sleep with my best friend!" Claire felt her heart drop as she realized that Liam was still holding that above Alex's head. She heard footsteps and backed away from the door as Liam flung the door open.

"Uh… hey Liam!" Claire said nervously as she realized that she just got busted eavesdropping on her best friends.

"You heard all that?" He asked her with a remorseful look on his face.

"Well… yeah…" She said, running a hand through her slightly messy hair. For a moment, Claire remembered she still had sex hair. However, there were more important things to worry about.

"Ugh, you'd think he'd get the hint!" Liam snapped as they walked away from the back room. Claire took a quick look into the back room to see Alex watching them both silently.

"He's just looking out for you. It shows he still cares," she said, trying to defend her other best friend. If it hadn't been for her, perhaps they would still be together. However, it wasn't just her fault so she couldn't take all the blame.

"I do too… I'm not even going there right now. I officially got off the clock seven minutes ago." Claire sighed and pressed her lips together.

"Liam…" He glanced over, and she could tell by the look in his eyes he did not want to deal with Alex.

"Claire?" Liam finally said. Claire looked down and shook her head.

"Never mind…" Liam frowned and nudged her lightly.

"Don't worry about it, you have your own things to worry about." Claire shrugged and forced a smile.

"Not so much anymore… I just… my best friends are fighting even though they clearly love each other. What's worse is that it's totally my fault," she confessed. Liam shook his head and looked back at Alex before looking back down at her.

"The past is the past Claire… don't let it drag you down," he said.

"Then why do you continue to hold it against Alex?" she asked. Liam met her eyes before shaking his head.

"I need to go, say hi to Kirk for me," Liam muttered. Claire turned bright red and watched Liam walk out of sickbay, while Alex walked up to her.

"He hates me…" he muttered. Claire looked up at him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"He doesn't hate you. He's letting the past get the better of him," She assured him. Alex sighed and leaned against the wall, letting a hand run over his face.

"Either way, he doesn't have a partner, and is refusing to let me help him."

"Maybe if you just sort of look after him… or something," she muttered. Alex sighed and shrugged.

"I'm off duty… I should get out of here. Keep an eye out for him." Claire nodded and patted his shoulder.

"Good luck…" Alex nodded and walked off, leaving Claire alone. She gave a heavy sigh and rubbed her shoulder absentmindedly, since it was beginning to bother her a bit.

"Claire…" a voice called. She looked over and her grey eyes met his brown.

"Doctor McCoy, I wasn't working!" She defended. He rolled his eyes and lightly took hold of her arm.

"Come on, I want to check your shoulder," he said. She gave a frustrated sigh and followed him to a medical bed.

"I'm fine, Liam checked my shoulder this morning," she explained.

"Just let me check it." She pressed her lips together and let him scan over it. She really didn't think it was necessary, but wasn't going to argue with her commanding officer. "Has it been hurting?" he asked.

"No, well… a bit," she confessed.

"You should really take it easy," he scolded.

"I am! I'm not working."

"Playing hide the sausage with Jim is not taking it easy," he reminded. Claire's cheeks turned bright red and she gave an awkward cough.

"You said nothing about that, just that I shouldn't work." McCoy sighed and let his fingers check her joint.

"Well, when you land your ass back in here, don't expect me to be so sympathetic," He snapped.

"When are you ever sympathetic, you're an all around hard ass," she mumbled. McCoy shot her a look but continued to check her shoulder.

"You know why I am so hard on you?" he asked. He hit a certain spot, and she hissed in pain.

"Because you're a secretly a Nazi?" she snapped.

"No, that's because my wife took everything I owned in that damn marriage. Including my kid…" Claire frowned and looked up at him, his dark eyes becoming sad.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered. McCoy said nothing for a moment and looked her in the eye.

"When you were assigned to this ship, I read over your record. 'Shows great potential, but lacks motivation.' Once you came on here, I saw the potential you had to be a doctor. You just needed someone to make sure you stayed in line. Now look at you, now you're on your way to being one of the best surgeons in Starfleet. Now, unless you take care of that shoulder, that's not going to happen. So take it easy and lay off the crazy wild sex for a couple days." Claire continued to hold eye contact with him for a good minute before looking down and nodding.

"Okay… thank you, Doctor McCoy…" he gave a small nod and stuck her with a hypo spray. She gave a small hiss of pain and shot a small glare at the doctor.

"To help with your shoulder. Now, I believe you are still allowed limited visits into the sickbay," McCoy said. She sighed and stood up.

"Yeah, yeah… find a hobby, I got it."

* * *

Ryan raised an eyebrow as he walked toward his room, stopping at the sight of Alex Chambers sitting in front of someone's door. There was a pause before Alex slammed his fist against the door, and then turned back to the data pad in his hand.

"Uh… do I want to know?" he asked. Alex looked up and sighed.

"I'm making sure Liam doesn't fall asleep. He refused to partner up with anyone, so I'm making sure he's alright." Ryan gave a nod and watched his sisters best friend let out a small yawn.

"How are you going to stay awake?" he asked.

"I don't know, I'm hoping doing this will keep me up…" Ryan frowned.

"Maybe someone should stay with you…"

"I'm fine… I swear. Aren't you spending the night with your girlfriend?" he asked.

"Uh… yeah, I left to go get food, but they said that the cafeteria is closed, so we're forced to have out own computers generate it. Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" he asked.

"I'm sure," Alex replied as he stifled back a yawn. Ryan shook his head and took a seat next to the younger doctor.

"Why don't you try talking to him?" He suggested, but Alex shook his head.

"I did, but he doesn't want my help," he told Ryan. Ryan sighed.

"Do you really think he doesn't realize that you're out here banging on his door?" He stated, gesturing to Liam's front door. Alex followed his gaze, but couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Oh, I know he knows. I mean, he hasn't come out to check and I can hear him mumble curses every so often, but he's still awake and that's all that matters," he replied, his eyes still focused on the door. The two men sat in silence for a moment before Alex slammed his fist against the door again. Ryan could vaguely make out the mumbled curses from Liam and sighed.

"This is ridiculous…."

"You're telling me. I asked him to be his partner as a friend, not a lover, and he still said no," Alex told him. Ryan rubbed his sleepy eyes as he thought about Alex's situation.

"Isn't there anyone else you can stay with? I mean, I'm with Anna and Claire is with Kirk, but surely there's someone else you can room with for the night," he asked. Alex just shook his head.

"Nope." Ryan scratched his chin which contain a little bit of blonde facial hair.

"Rupert?" He suggested. Alex just shook his head again.

"He's got the identical Asian twins in his room tonight," he informed him.

"Oliver?" Ryan tried again, but Alex just sighed.

"Mr. Ruffles." They sat in silence as Ryan furrowed his eyebrows. This was harder than he though.

"Hmmm… McCoy?" He threw out in desperation, but Alex just shook his head once more.

"Mass amounts of hypo spray containers." Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"You make him sound like an addict," he muttered.

"He might be… explain why he's on his man period all the time," he commented. Ryan chuckled.

"Not sure you'd want to partner with him anyway…" Alex nodded his head.

"Yeah… it's a little awkward 'partnering' up with your boss." Ryan shrugged.

"I'm Anna's boss, and she's still partnering up with me," Ryan reminded. Alex shot him a knowing look.

"You also are having hot, crazy sex with her. That's probably one of the reasons Kirk is partnering with Claire and not McCoy," Alex pointed out. Ryan nodded and after a minute he stood up.

"I guess I better head out, I don't want Anna to fall asleep," Ryan muttered. Alex nodded and banged the door once more.

"How long do you think we'll be required to stay awake?" he asked. Ryan sighed and shrugged.

"A few hours… a few days… who knows?" Alex nodded and gave a small wave.

"Well then, have fun fucking!" he commented. Ryan shook his head and gave a small wave.

"Have fun being desperate!" Alex chuckled and leaned against the wall, giving another smack to the door for the hell of it. The door opened and Liam glared down at him.

"Do you mind?" he hissed. Alex smiled and shook his head.

"Not at all, anything for you babe," he said. Liam gave a frustrated huff and entered the room once again. Alex could hear a string of curses emitting from Liam's room, and he smiled down at his data pad. At least he was awake.

* * *

Claire walked sluggishly down the hallway to her room. It was nearing midnight and she was exhausted, but she knew that she wouldn't be getting any sleep for awhile. And as much as she didn't want to admit it, McCoy was probably right in saying she should take it easy when it came to spending time with her boyfriend. But just as she neared her room, she felt her heart skip a beat. Outside her room was a trail of red rose petals that lead into her room.

"Jim?" She muttered to herself, nearing the front door. What was he planning? Or at least, she hoped it was Jim. If it was some random creeper, she might have to be concerned. Claire took a deep breath, trying to control her heartbeat, as she stood outside her door.

"Open." The door slide open at her words and the low light of her room spilled out into the hallway. Scented candles filled her room as the aroma of sweet vanilla filled her nostrils. But Claire felt her breath quicken and her face fluster as her eyes followed the rose petals to her bed where her very naked boyfriend was laying across her bed, a single red rose in his mouth.

"What do you think?" He asked, removing the rose so he could speak. She pressed her lips together and covered her mouth with her hands as she looked at him.

"Very romantic… what movie did you get this from?" she asked, walking up to the bed. He smirked and looked up at her.

"That is for me to know, and you to maybe find out one day," he said. She chuckled and ran a hand through her hair.

"It's very sweet, Jim… and the flowers are lovely…" she commented. Jim smirked and took hold of her arm and pulled her to the bed.

"That's not the only thing that is lovely." He pulled her down onto the bed and flipped them so he was on top.

"Jim, I-" he cut her off by kissing her sensually. She sighed and gave into the kiss. She knew she should have listened to McCoy, he was only trying to look out for her, but she couldn't bring herself to pull away. Jim's tongue entered her mouth and began to wrestle with hers, while his hand traveled up her shirt. His hips pressed into hers and she moaned at the feeling.

His lips moved down her jaw and rested on her neck, his tongue tracing circles on her sensitive skin. She sighed in content and he leaned up so he could take her shirt off. Sadly, she decided to wear a cami under her tee-shirt, and he gave a small sigh of frustration. She tried to distract him by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling her to him and kissing him. She flinched upon doing so, the lack of sleep was not working well for her shoulder. Jim felt the flinch and pulled away.

"You alright?" he asked, one hand tracing over her face. She nodded.

"I'm fine… just my shoulder," she whispered. Jim ran one of his rough hands across her shoulder, careful not to do any damage to the aching piece of flesh. Claire moaned at the contact, the pain slowly disappearing under his soft touch.

"We can take it easy tonight if you want," he suggested, though the tone of his voice was clearly betraying his true intentions. Claire sighed as Jim continued to caress her shoulder.

"No… you went to the trouble of making one of the most romantic nights of my life and I can't deny you this, because I want it too," she told him, looking into his lust filled blue eyes. Jim nodded.

"I completely understand, trust me. I'll try to be gentle, okay babe?" He said with his normal cocky smile, but it wasn't the same insincere smile he'd be using for years. It was cocky and filled with lust, but it also filled with the unwavering love and desire he held for her. Jim leaned down and let his lips dance across her neck and down to her shoulder, making sure to not put too much pressure on it. Claire groaned in response, flipping them around so she was on top.

"Let me show you just how much I love you."

* * *

Ryan hurried back to his room, realizing how much time had gone by since he'd left for the cafeteria. If Anna hadn't been pissed before, she definitely was now. He darted around the last corner before halting in front of his door.

"Open," he commanded, but the door didn't budge. "Uh…"

"You think you're getting in that easily, Conaway?" A voice called from inside the room. Ryan flinched at the angry tone of his girlfriend.

"I'm so sorry, babe. I swear it was an-" Ryan started, but Anna cut him off.

"You didn't bring another person back with you, did you? Another person to ruin our special night!" She snapped from inside his room. Ryan ran a hand through his hair, trying to keep his cool.

"No babe, I swear. I did stop to say hi to Alex whose trying to keep Liam awake from outside his room, but-" Again, Anna cut him off.

"Of course you did. Everyone is so much more important than your horny girlfriend, right?" Ryan sighed realizing his mistake.

"No babe, I swear. The cafeteria was closed and Alex is our friend whose in a really bad spot and-" For the third time that night, Anna cut Ryan off. He clenched his fists, remembering all the times Claire did that to him as a kid. His biggest pet peeve was getting cut off mid-sentence.

"Why do you always have to be the hero, huh? Why can't you let people take care of their own problems?" She called out. Ryan took a deep breath and glared at the door to his room.

"I'm just a good guy, Anna. Please, for the rest of the night, it's just going to be you, me, and lots of sex. I swear!" He swore, trying once more to gain access to his room.

"_Si no vienen más de diez veces esta noche, vas a estar en un mundo lleno de problemas_. Get in here!" The door opened and he walked in, giving an apologetic smile at his girlfriend.

"I'm sorry," he said, walking up to her and letting his hands rest on her hips.

"You should be sorry, I don't wait for just anyone," she snapped. He smiled and pulled her close.

"I never expected you would," he said. She smiled and leaned up, pressing her lips against his and running her hands through his hair. He groaned and let his hand dip lower, cupping her behind and giving it a light squeeze. She jumped slightly and pulled away.

"Excuse me?" she said. He chuckled and looked down at her, his grey eyes turning dark with lust.

"I'm sorry, I just resist your voluptuous behind," he growled. She chuckled and pulled his lips back onto hers. His hands reached behind her to her uniform and unzipped it, the cold air causing her to shiver. She quickly let the garment fall to the floor, leaving her in her black silk bra and panties. He pulled back to admire her body, causing her to blush lightly from embarrassment. She quickly recovered and pulled his shirt off of him, enjoying her boyfriends muscles before leaning forward and kissing his neck.

Ryan moaned and ran his hands down her sides, then back up to rest on her breasts. She moaned at the contact and pulled away to kiss his lips and unhook her bra. Her breasts spilled out in front of him and his hands greedily caressed them. Anna pulled away and began to unbuckle his belt.

"I have a small confession," she whispered. He raised an eyebrow and pulled down his pants, leaving his boxers on.

"Oh, do you?" he asked, his voice low and rough. She nodded and pulled away, smiling wide at him. "Care to share?" he asked. She reached down and pulled down her panties. She now worse nothing except her knee high black boots.

"I think too much foreplay is overrated," she replied. Ryan felt his boxers become extremely uncomfortable as he smiled at her.

"A woman after my own heart," he replied. He pulled off his boxers and pulled her to him, relishing the fact that her skin was touching his. He moved so they reached the bed and gently placed her on the bed. His hands caressed down her body and rested on her womanhood, his rough fingers pleasing her as they entered her core.

"Ryan!" she breathed. He leaned down and kissed her neck. His member was throbbing painfully, but he held off entering her before she was ready. Anna closed her eyes while she enjoyed the pleasure erupting through her body.

"Anna…" he groaned. She nodded and pulled his hand away before reaching into her night stand and pulling out a gold wrapper.

"Just incase," she told him. He nodded and quickly ripped the wrapper open and gently wrapping the condom over himself. When it was finally on, her positioned himself over her. If Anna wanted him to skip the foreplay, then he was going to do just that. In one swift movement, he thrust his pelvis against Anna's and inserting himself into her womanhood. She moaned out his name, arching her back as waves of pleasure racked her body. Ryan smiled down at her, using one hand to support his weight while the other hand was busy with her chest, gently rolling her right nipple around with his fingertips. Anna bit her lip as sweat began to pour down her body.

"Fuck…" she hissed as Ryan began thrusting himself in and out of her at a steady pace.

"That's what I'm doing, babe," he told her with a cocky smile. She reached up and pulled him closer, her nails digging into the skin of his back.

"Don't get smart with me. Ugh… f-faster!" She cried out as Ryan found her sweet spot. He repeatedly pounded the same spot, causing Anna to shake and shiver under his own sweaty body. Ryan felt a fire burning up inside of him, centering from his groin, but continued to hammer away inside of his girlfriend. He was going to make sure he held out for her.

"I'm s-so close…" she stuttered, moaning into Ryan's neck. Ryan tilted her head to meet his lips, savoring the sloppy kiss they shared. He sped up his pace, refusing to break their heated kiss. She thrust her tongue into his waiting mouth, trying not to get lost in the heavenly feeling as her orgasm began to build. Ryan could barely contain himself any longer when he felt Anna's walls tighten around his throbbing member.

"I'm gonna… ARUGH!" Anna cried out along with her boyfriend as he shot his seed into the condom he was wearing. Her walls contracted around his member as she was sent over the edge. Anna was in complete bliss as the feeling of ecstasy pumped through her very veins. Ryan helped her ride out her orgasm before collapsing on top of her, trying to return to his senses. Anna closed her eyes and for a moment, was sure she had died and went to heaven. She opened her warm chocolate brown eyes and turned over to Ryan.

"Ready for round two?" Anna whispered into Ryan's ear, pulling her boyfriend closer. His chest rose and fell against her hand as he tried to regain his breath.

"I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

"This is freaking ridiculous…" Alex murmured to himself, rubbing at his tired eyes. He'd been sitting outside Liam's door for hours. For what felt like the millionth time, Alex banged on the door with his sluggish movements. He paused and waited for the familiar string of curses that Liam had picked out just for him before returning to his slumped position against the wall.

"I don't know how much longer… I… can…" Alex's eyes became heavy as he trailed off, unable to focus his train of thought. Without thinking of the consequences, Alex drifted down the side of the wall and passed out, the exhaustion from his long graveyard shifts and the seemingly never-ending night catching up to him.

* * *

It had been a few hours since Liam last heard his ex banging on his door and he was starting to grow worried. Yes, the man was annoying and didn't take a hint, but he was only doing it because Liam was being stubborn. Truth was, he just couldn't take getting hurt again. All throughout his life, Liam had the one to break hearts. He was the Kirk of the gay world, before Jim had met Claire, of course. He'd never suffered heartbreak over a man before and he didn't know how to handle it. Perhaps he was wrong, yes, but he didn't know how to just forgive Alex and let it go. Against his better judgment, Liam rose from his computer. He'd been working on some research for a new method of childbirth just to keep himself awake. Slowly he made his way to his door and peeked outside to find Alex slumped in a ball on the floor.

"Oh shit, this is not good…" he leaned in front of him moved the man so he was sitting up.

"Alex… Alex!" Liam snapped. He got no response out of him and Liam suddenly became worried. He checked the mans vitals and got no response. Liam began to panic and walked to the computer, hitting the first contact he could think of.

"Hello?" the voice asked sluggishly.

"Claire, I need help!" Liam cried.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It's Alex, please just get here as soon as possible." He hear no reply and then turned to Alex. He kneeled and tried shaking him in order for him to wake.

"Come on, the one time I want to talk to you, you decide it's time for a nap," Liam muttered. A few seconds later, someone kneeled down next to him. He looked over and smiled upon seeing Claire, though, she had looked better.

"Is he alright?" she asked.

"You look like you just rolled out of bed," Liam commented. She shot him a look and turned back to Alex.

"I did… sort of. What's wrong with him?" she asked.

"He fell asleep, now he's not waking up." Claire frowned and walked to the computer.

"Doctor Conaway to sickbay, we have a medical emergency outside of Doctor Peterson's room. Please come immediately." She didn't bother to hear a reply as she kneeled in front of Alex once more and sighed.

"You have any idea how to wake him up?" Liam asked. Claire paused before backhanding him across the face. The impact caused Liam to flinch, but did nothing for Alex.

"No… none. Maybe McCoy knows…" Liam sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"If I had jus agreed to partner with him, this wouldn't have happened." Claire sighed and began to shake him once more.

"Alex, come on! You have to wake up, I'll let you eat pudding!" she suggested. When she got no response she gave a heavy sigh and ran a hand through her tangled hair.

"Conaway, Peterson… what happened?" a voice asked. Claire stood up and saw McCoy and two other doctors looking at them.

"He fell asleep! He's not waking up!" Liam said. McCoy nodded and helped the doctors put him on a stretcher, and the group walked down the hall, reaching sickbay in record time. Before they entered, McCoy turned around and looked at Claire.

"Conaway…" he said, his voice wasn't harsh, but it had a small warning tone in it.

"Please, he's my friend. I swear to god I won't work, but I need to make sure he's alright. I need to make sure Liam is alright… please…" McCoy sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"You touch anything, I'll have you locked in your room." She nodded and smiled at him before rushing in sickbay and walking over to Liam.

"He's going to be alright… right?" Claire nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure he is…"

* * *

Alex gave a small groan as he opened his eyes. The light seemed to be killing him and the small headache in the back of his head was a little disconcerting. He blinked a few times and froze when he realized that he was not on the _Enterprise_, but was in a large bedroom. The walls held many pictures, a few he recognized of him and Claire, and a few other members of the crew. As he sat up, he realized he was wearing nothing but his boxers, proving further that he was not at the last place he remembered. The doors opened and a small dog jumped onto the bed, nuzzling his cold nose on Alex's arm.

"Alex, you awake yet?" a voice asked. Alex looked up to see a topless Liam walk into the room.

"Liam?" Alex asked. Liam raised an eyebrow.

"Uh… yeah. Are you getting out of bed anytime soon? I made pancakes…" Alex nodded absentmindedly and got out of bed.

"Pancakes?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, you said you wanted some last night. Thought I'd make them now before we get started. We have a lot to do today," Liam told him, turning around and walking back to the kitchen. Alex rubbed the back of his head and slipped on a pair of sweat pants, pausing when he saw the picture on his nightstand. It was a picture of he and Liam standing under an arch, both of them wearing tuxes. Next to them was Claire and Jim, and Ryan and Anna. There were a few other people from the _Enterprise_, but Alex couldn't remember them. He was drawn to the caption on the bottom.

"Our Wedding!" His eyes went wide and his gaze dropped down to his left hand, where a simple gold wedding band sat.

"Oh, shit…" Alex whispered. The dog barked once more and Alex took a deep breath. He seemed to have just woken up from a weird dream, and was thrown into an even weirder reality.

"Alex! Get your ass in here! We need to eat before we go to meet Stacy!" Liam called. Alex began to walk into the kitchen.

"Who is Stacy?" Alex asked.

"Only the woman carrying your child! Jesus, did you hit your head or something? We're meeting with her so we can finalize the adoption." Alex walked to the kitchen island, where Liam was cooking dinner.

"Adoption?" he asked softly. Liam placed a plate of pancakes in front of him and sighed.

"Here, maybe after some food you'll start thinking straight," Liam said, leaning forward and kissing him deeply. Without thinking, Alex leaned into the kissing, enjoying the familiar feeling of Liam's lips against his own. It'd been so long since he'd been able to enjoy the feeling… but his world of bliss was cut short when everything came rushing back to him. Liam wasn't his, he was still mad. This wasn't real. Reluctantly, Alex pulled away.

"I… I can't…" He mumbled, ashamed at what he'd done. Kissing the dream Liam felt the same as cheating on the real Liam. True, he'd already done it once before and true, Liam wasn't his anymore to cheat on, but the feeling was still there.

"Okay, what's wrong? You've been acting funny ever since you woke up this morning. Aren't you happy?" Alex wanted to say yes, after seeing the pleading look in Liam's eyes. But he had to keep reminding himself, this wasn't Liam. This wasn't their life together. This wasn't real at all.

"I'm… not. This isn't real. It's too good to be real," he said hesitantly. It was hard for him to keep his grasp on reality, but as much as he wanted it to be real, he knew it wasn't.

"I've had that feeling once or twice before, but it is real Alex. We made it through all that shit on the _Enterprise_ and now we're happy. Can't you just accept that and let go? I love you," Alex closed his eyes at Liam's words, savoring the words not spoken in a long time. Why couldn't all this be real?

"I wish I could, I do, but this isn't real. The real Liam… he never forgave me. None of this is real. You're all in my head!" Alex snapped, trying to fight the luring words of the dream Liam.

"Don't say such things!" But Liam's voice was no longer his own. The voice became thick with a foreign alien accent, making it so much easier for Alex to reject the dream world. The dream Liam tried to cling to Alex, but he jumped back from the table and glared down at Liam.

"Stop! Just stop!"

* * *

"What can we do?" Claire asked as McCoy looked over at the board of information they'd put together. They didn't have a lot of information on the dream deaths occurring on the_ Enterprise_, so they didn't have much to go off of.

"Well, it appears that Alex's vitals are remaining constant, despite the coma-like condition he's in. Honestly… I don't know what we can do because we don't know what's going on in his head," McCoy explained. Claire looked over to Alex's bed to see Liam holding his limp hand.

"We have to do something…"

* * *

"Don't you want to stay here forever, Alex? Liam loves you here and you're happy," the dream Liam told him, the unfamiliar alien voice still present, but Alex shook his head.

"No, this isn't real! It doesn't mean anything if it isn't real?" he muttered. The dream Liam frowned and clenched his fists.

"You can have anything you want here. You're lover, a family." Alex watched in astonishment as three or four children appeared, all looking similar to either Alex or Liam.

"No, it's not real!" he hissed.

"It is as real as you wish it to be." The alien stepped toward him, causing Alex to step back.

"You can't make this real. Let me out!" he snapped. The alien took another step, but Alex pushed him back. The aliens eyes suddenly turned dark and he again took another step.

"There is no out. This is it. You can either accept it, or succumb to us unwillingly." Alex glared at him and clenched his fists.

"This isn't real! I can't just go on with this and pretend it's all fine!" he hissed. The alien paused before stepping back.

"Perhaps another fantasy then…" it suggested. The scene changed and he was suddenly in a palace, surrounded by gorgeous women. He himself was on a throne and wore a crown on his head. He looked over to see Liam, wearing nothing, but sheet covering his lower half. On the other side of him, was a beautiful woman, wearing practically nothing. All around him he noticed was full of all the woman he had previously slept with, and he meant all.

"Does this satisfy you?" The alien controlling Liam asked. Alex's eyes went wide as he saw a particular red head walk up to him. The first girl he ever slept with.

"Just give in Alex. Here, you can have whatever you want… who ever you want. No repercussions," she said. Alex tried to swallow the lump in his throat and turned to Liam, who practically crawled his way to him, while the she sat in his lap and caressed his face.

"I… I just…" he trailed off when Liam also sat on his lap, and ran his hand through his hair.

"We can please you, forever. Not just us, anyone you wish. Just say the word, and all of this… all of us… can be yours," he whispered.

* * *

"He's starting to flat line!" Liam called out from besides Alex's limp body. The color began to drain from his face as he realized they were losing him. Claire turned to run to Alex's side, but McCoy put his arm out.

"No working," he snapped. Claire turned to him with pleading eyes.

"But he's my friend! I have to do something!" She said, tears starting to well up in her eyes. No one else had survived the sleep coma before, what made Alex any different?

"Which is why I need you out of my way so I can save him," McCoy told her, a strict order and a sympathetic promise wrapped into those fifteen words. Claire swallowed the lump in her throat, but nodded and moved out of his way.

* * *

"Good Alex… good…" The alien who had taken Liam's form purred into the helpless man's ear. Alex relaxed into his touch, reluctantly giving in. What was he supposed to do?

"S-Stop…" But his demanded was weak and fell upon deaf ears as the alien cuddled closer.

"We'll do anything for you, Alex. Anything," the fake Liam told him, running his hand down the now shirtless Alex until his hand landed in his lap. Alex felt his breath to catch in his throat as he try to resist the moan building in his vocal chords.

"T-Then let me out of here. P-Please…" he stuttered, finally finding the will power to push the dream Liam away. Even if the real Liam hated his guts, he'd still rather be there with him than living a lie with the dream Liam. That's just how love worked.

* * *

"What'd you do?" Claire asked as Alex's vitals returned to normal. Liam returned to his right hand, latching onto the unconscious man once more.

"I don't know, he seemed to stabilize all on his own," McCoy told them, double checking to make sure the machine wasn't malfunctioning. After a few minutes, McCoy sat his scanner down and returned to his previous work. Liam stroked his ex-lover's hand as he watched his eyes twitch.

"Wait… do you think he's fighting whatever it is that's in his head?" Liam asked after a minute. Silence fell over the room as McCoy pondered the question.

"He might very well be. There could be a huge battle going on inside his head right now…"

* * *

"Don't you like it when I touch you here?" Liam purred once again as his hand disappeared under Alex's robe. He was dressed as a Roman emperor which left plenty of room for inappropriate touching.

"N-No…" Alex forced, trying to fight against the hand, but his body would not respond to his commands and he sat helpless under the sensual touch.

"That's not how your body seems to be responding…"

* * *

"Does… does Alex have a boner?" Everyone in the room froze and turned towards Alex's corpse-like body. Liam jumped back from the table, surprised at the small tent atop Alex's crotch.

"Um…" Liam started. He looked over at McCoy, who was dumbfounded.

"I don't know…" Liam let out an awkward cough and looked around the room.

"So… what do we do?" Liam asked. McCoy watched as Alex's heart rate began to slow, and looked back down at the man.

"Okay, if whatever is happening in his dream is effecting him in the real world, then anything that happens to him in the real world will effect him in the dream world…" McCoy concluded.

"So… what should we do?" Spike asked.

"Obviously the dream is doing… sexual things to him… so we stop it." Claire raised an eyebrow, as a few dirty things came to mind. She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. She had been hanging out with Jim for too long.

"So… we make him come?" Sophie asked. McCoy scrunched his nose.

"God I hope not," he commented.

"Hit him in the balls," Claire whispered to Jackson. Jackson raised an eyebrow.

"But… wouldn't that hurt?" he asked. Claire rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to smack him. So young, and so stupid.

"Duh…" she muttered. Jackson's eyes went wide and he turned to McCoy.

"If you hit him in the balls, it'll hurt!" Spike rolled his eyes.

"No shit, Sherlock…"

"No, wait. If the alien is… pleasing him, kicking him in the balls would bring him back to reality… so to speak…" McCoy blinked then nodded.

"That might actually work…" he mumbled. Before anyone could do anything about it, Scotty walked into sickbay, dragging a bleeding unconscious man behind him.

"What's going on?" Sophie asked.

"The whole ship has gone crazy. People are fighting each other everywhere," Scotty said. Nurse Chapel quickly ran over and tried to help the man.

"Not enough REM sleep makes people irritated, crazy, and violent. McCoy, we need to stop this thing now," Chapel said.

"Where is Jim?" McCoy asked.

"Trying to break up a fight in the dinning hall, it's pretty heated." Claire pressed her lips together and fought the urge to go help him, he was more skilled to handle something like that than she was.

"Shit… this isn't good…" McCoy hissed. A loud beep echoed through sickbay, and they all turned to Alex, watching in horror as he began to flat line.

"Shit! What the fuck do we do?" Jackson cried.

"Punch him in his balls!" Claire snapped. Liam needed no more encouragement.

* * *

A searing pain shot through Alex's crotch, and he shoved the alien away from him. The alien stumbled back as Alex crouched over, his hands covering his most sensitive area. It was then he knew that someone, anyone, from the ship was trying to get him to wake up. They had found him and were now doing whatever they could think of to keep him alive. He needed to stay alive, for his friends… for Liam.

"Alex?" the dream Liam cooed. Alex shoved him away and stood from the throne, making sure to put a good distance between he and the alien.

"Stay away from me!" he snapped.

"I will make this all better, Alex… I promise!" he cried. He rushed toward Alex, moving to embrace him, but Alex simply punched him across the face, causing the alien to fall over.

"No, let me the hell out of here and leave my ship alone!" Liam's eyes suddenly turned red and he hissed at Alex.

"You are mine! And only mine! You will succumb to me!" He shouted. He lunged toward Alex and they fell to the ground. The Alien's hands were around his throat, and Alex punched him in the face before he could properly strangle him. Before he knew it, all the other women in the room had him pinned to the ground. Dream Liam stood up and slowly crossed the room to stand towering over Alex.

"Get the hell away from me!" He cried out, trying to fight against the strong grip of the women.

"I can't let you leave here," the alien told him, his voice going down an octave and echoing through the palace they were in.

"Why? You can't just lose one person?" Alex cried out as some of the women began to disrobe him. The alien removed the cloth around dream Liam's body and stood stark naked before him.

"If we lose you, it'll drain our power and we'll lose our hold over the _Enterprise_. We must have everyone succumb to our power in order to become whole once more. No, you cannot leave. I will do whatever it takes."

* * *

"That looked like it worked," Claire stated as Alex's heart rate returned to normal and the tent disappeared.

"That's good. Perhaps he can… oh shit…" McCoy placed his face in his hands as the tent slowly returned to Alex's crotch. Claire's face went red and Liam rolled his eyes.

"Another boner? Jesus Christ… why couldn't he get it up that fast while we were having sex…" He mumbled. McCoy shot him an angry look.

"Can you just not?" He snapped, while Spike pointed towards the monitor.

"Wait, look at the heart monitor!" He cried out. Everyone in the room turned to face the monitor as Alex's heart rate began to beat in a certain pattern.

"What the hell is happening?" Liam asked as he rushed to Alex's side again, ignoring the man's boner.

"I think it's Morris code!" Claire stated, watching the pattern closely.

"Does anyone know Morris code?" McCoy asked, scanning the room. It was silent for a minute before Spike stepped forward.

"Er… I do," he told them.

"How the hell do you know it?" Claire asked, glaring at the British man.

"Sometimes it's better not to ask, love," he told her with a smile.

"Well, what's he saying?" Liam demanded. Spike nodded and moved over to the monitor. He watched the pattern a few times before turning back around to face McCoy.

"I'm pretty sure he's telling us 'again'. What again?" Everyone paused.

"Punch him in the balls again?" Jackson suggested.

"Dude, poor guy isn't going to be able to have kids if we keep this up," Claire stated as Liam prepared to punch his ex-boyfriend in the crotch again.

"I think living is more important than functioning junk!" Liam snapped, turning to face Claire.

"That's up for questioning," Spike interjected. Everyone turned to glare at him.

"Liam, just punch him again…" McCoy ordered.

* * *

The pain erupted in his crotch once more, and he threw the women, and the naked Liam off him and reached behind for a weapon. He finally found a sword, and thankfully a sheet, and faced the alien.

"You can't do this! There are hundreds of innocent people on that ship, you're just going to kill them?" Alex asked. The dream Liam held a sword of his own.

"No one is innocent. If you insist on being stubborn, I will have no choice, but to kill you. I have derived enough pleasure from you to wait till the next victim. It is just a matter of time before someone falls asleep," the alien snapped. Alex tightened his grip on the sword. The next person could just as well be Liam, and he couldn't let that happen.

"Fuck you!" he snapped, rushing forward to attack the alien. The alien moved out of the way and hit him in the face with the hilt of the sword. Alex cried out in pain, but swung the sword and grazed the alien's stomach. The alien cried out in pain and went to stab him once more, but was stopped by Alex's sword. The alien growled at him and went to punch him in the gut, only to be stopped by Alex's knee. Alex pulled away and swung his sword, meeting the other's with a clang. The women who were previously in the scene had vanished, and it was just Alex and the alien.

"You are so foolish. We could have given you anything you wanted, any lifestyle, any lover. Yet you choose to fight us!" Alex shoved the alien forward and swung his sword down, cutting off the Alien's hand.

"Yeah well, your dream world is a bunch of bullshit. It's not the same if it's not real," Alex snapped. The alien glared and swung his weapon, smiling evilly when it sliced through some skin on his chest. Alex cried out in pain and fell to the ground, but not before stabbing the son of a bitch in the foot.

* * *

"Is that blood?" Liam asked, his voice raising in face as the shirt covering Alex's chest began to turn a deep crimson color. Not waiting around, McCoy quickly ran over to his side.

"Come on, Chambers. You can do this," he whispered as he ripped the doctor's shirt open to reveal the gash across his chest.

"What do we do now? I don't think punching him in the balls again will do much now…" Claire trailed off, watching McCoy tend to the wound.

"Nothing, it's up to him now. We just need to make sure we take care of any injuries he might receive," he explained.

"Dr. McCoy, look at his thigh!" Liam exclaimed, pointing to Alex's right thigh which began bleeding profusely.

* * *

Alex howled with pain as the alien's sword became lodged in his leg and he fell to the ground. He tried to rise to his feet again, but the muscles contracted against the metal in his legs, slicing farther through his leg.

"ARGHHH!" He cried out. The alien grinned as Alex dropped his sword and grabbed his leg.

"What are you going to do now, Alex? Do you really think you can beat me?" Alex gritted his teeth together as he gripped the handle of the blade and yanked it out of his leg in one fluid motion.

"I am going to end this now," Alex said with barred teeth as he used the sword to support to his weight. He rose to his unsteady feet and held the sword in a ready position.

"Are you really going to attack and unarmed man?" The alien asked with a smile, holding up his empty hands. Alex wasted no time in lunged towards the alien and piercing it in the chest.

"You're not man, you're just one sick fuck!" The Alien paused before letting out a ear piercing scream, and disappeared in front of Alex's eyes. Soon the sword disappeared, and Alex was left alone in the dark.

* * *

Liam stood next to Claire, one hand tightly gripping hers, and the other tapping against his leg. Claire could tell the man was nervous, and she was nervous as well. They had finally got the bleeding in his chest to stop, and were now looking at his leg. She began fidgeting when she saw Spike work on his leg, and use the wrong clamp to stop the bleeding.

"Ugh, this is driving me crazy…" she muttered.

"He just needs to wake up… that's all," Liam whispered.

"No, I'm talking about the clamp!" she snapped. Liam turned toward her, his eyebrows raised.

"My boyfriend is in there dying, and you're worried about a clamp!" he snapped.

"Ex-boyfriend, Liam…" she pointed out.

"Whatever…" Claire rolled her eyes and turned back to Alex, who's leg had stopped bleeding and was recovering quite well.

"Why don't you just forgive him? You obviously love him quite a lot still." Liam frowned and turned toward her once more.

"It's not that easy… I can't just… I can't, not just yet." Claire was about to reply when the doors opened and Jackson walked out.

"He's awake, he's asking for you, Liam." Liam froze before letting go of Claire's hand. For a moment, she thought he was going to actually go to him, but was disappointed when he turned around and left sickbay. Claire sighed and looked back at Jackson.

"I'll see him…" she told him. Jackson nodded and she walked into the room just as McCoy was leaving. He paused to look at Claire, then back at the door where Liam just left and shook his head.

"Poor kid," he muttered. Claire nodded and walked up to the bed, where an exhausted looking Alex was laying down. He looked up at Claire and his frown deepened.

"Liam?" he asked. Claire sighed and shook her head, placing her arm on his.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered. Alex frowned and nodded, blinking a few times to stop the tears from falling.

"I should have expected…" he trailed off and closed his eyes.

"Alex, I can try to get him back." Alex shook his head and gave her arm a small pat.

"No… you need to get some sleep. I'll be fine," he said. Claire paused and looked at her best friend.

"Are you sure. I don't want you to be alone," she told him. He shook his head and yawned.

"You need sleep, I need sleep. The whole ship probably needs some sleep," he said in an exhausted voice. Claire furrowed her eyebrows at his statement.

"What about the aliens?" She asked. Alex sighed.

"I took care of them, not to worry," he told him. Claire grabbed his right hand and gave it a gentle pat.

"Give him some time. You went through hell today in your head, but Liam went through his own personal hell today too. I'm sure that once-" Alex pulled his hand out of Claire's and looked up at her.

"He'll come around if and when he's ready. I can wait. Just being around the real Liam is enough for me…" He said before drifting off to sleep. Claire gave him a sad smile as she pulled the sickbay sheets up and tucked the tired man in.

"At least he can rest easy now…"

* * *

Ryan sighed as they finished leading the bloody crew members to sickbay. The fighting had been occurring all night, interrupting his special night with his girlfriend. Neither he nor Anna were happy with the disturbance, but they were both security officers.

"Here's the last ones. Everyone who wasn't harmed were sent back to their rooms for a good night of sleep. Anything else you need, Dr. McCoy?" McCoy rubbed the bridge of his nose as he scanned sickbay.

"This place is ridiculously overcrowded and I'm short three doctors!" He snapped while rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Which three?"

"Dr. Chambers, Dr. Peterson, and your sister. Alex is recovering from this whole sleep battle he had to go through and Claire's still not approved to work yet. I have no idea where Liam is though and I really need him here right now," McCoy explained. Ryan nodded.

"I'll go find him and send him down here to help you guys out." McCoy gave a nod and returned to work. Ryan walked out of sickbay and made his way down the hall, stopping when he saw Liam sitting on the floor, his legs pulled up to his chest. Ryan paused an glanced back at sickbay, then back at the doctor. He was actually surprised that he was able to find the doctor so quick.

"Liam?" Ryan asked. Liam looked up, his tired dark eyes meeting Ryan's tired grey.

"Yeah?" he asked softly. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Are… uh… are you alright?" he asked.

"No," Liam replied. Ryan debated on just telling the man he was needed and leaving, but decided to sit down next to him.

"Is this about Alex?" he asked. Liam nodded.

"I can't help it. I still love the cheating asshole!" he snapped. Ryan gave him a sympathetic smile and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's hard to stop loving someone, even after they do something like that," Ryan told him. Liam sighed and turned to Ryan.

"Would you have forgiven Colleen?" he asked. Ryan's face fell and Liam immediately knew the answer. "I didn't think so."

"That's different though. Colleen never told me. She was going to marry me and have Rupert's baby without telling me. Alex came to you up front and said that he made a mistake. He's a better person than Colleen was," Ryan explained. Liam sighed.

"I suppose you're right…" Ryan stood up and waited for Liam to hoist himself up as well.

"Listen, it's tough, but you can't live in the past. Everyone makes mistakes, it's just a matter of if they learn from them, and if they regret them." Liam thought it over and then gave a small nod.

"That makes sense… maybe I should… try to be friends with him," he admitted.

"It's a start…" Liam nodded and gave Ryan a hand shake.

"Thank you, I really needed this." Ryan smiled.

"No problem. Oh, McCoy needs help in sickbay, it'd be best if you went." He said. Liam nodded and turned toward sickbay.

"Night Ryan," he called. Ryan waved.

"Have fun!"

* * *

Jim gave a yawn as he entered Claire's room. They finally got all the fighting to stop, and he ordered everyone to at least take a nap. He entered the room and frowned upon seeing the scene in front of him. Claire had fallen asleep in her attempt to wait for him, but Rocky, he faithful guard dog, was sleeping right next to her. Upon seeing Jim, he sat up and started growling.

"Shh, I'm leaving," Jim whispered.

"No, don't go," Claire muttered. She sat up and pushed her dog off the bed, ignoring the small growl of protest he gave. "Oh shush…" she muttered. Despite the growling dog, Jim crossed the room and joined his girlfriend on the bed.

"Hey," he whispered to her as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Hey," she replied, cuddling closer to the warmth and serenity he provided.

"How's Alex doing?" Jim asked as they leaned back against the bed. Rocky finally stopped barking and settled down next to the bed, angry that he'd been disturbed.

"Okay, but he's going to be out of commission for awhile," Claire informed him, closing her eyes and relaxing against his strong arms.

"Well, I'd imagine so. Thanks to him, everyone on the ship is safe," he stated, mimicking Claire's actions.

"Yeah, poor guy…" Claire trailed off. Jim opened one eye to look at her.

"Let's get some sleep, you look exhausted," he stated as he reached down and pulled the covered up over them.

"What, no sexual advances?" She inquired, giggling at her own words. She was tired and feeling a little bit silly.

"There's plenty of time for that later. I'm pretty beat myself. Besides, if I'm going to blow your mind, I need to make sure I've got enough energy to last for a couple of days," Jim told her, pulling her close once more. Claire scoffed at his words.

"Yeah, like you could."

"Do you doubt me? Am I going to have to prove it to you?" He asked, pulling away and sitting up to look down at her, a cocky grin spread across his tired face.

"Maybe another time. Right now, it's time for bed," Claire told him, pulling him back down.

"Good call."

* * *

_To de Reviews_

_**X-PANIC**  
**Raxsah:** Yeah, College tends to take up most of your time. Like, I'm supposed to be doing my English essay, but I'm going to wait till later tonight. XP Jim and Claire are together, no Amnesia needed, though that would have been interesting. O.o Jim would have had to flirt with her constantly all over again. How many chapters? Uh… who knows. We're playing it by ear… type? Idk.  
**Jeck:** Nursing student? Wow, that must be intense. My best to you! Of course Jim has! I think you guys don't give us enough credit sometimes. Chapters? We're not sure. Pages? Less than 300, more than 200... -ish. :3 Not studying too hard is something I'm good at. That would be why I got a 78 on my psych exam. Just saying. But thanks anyway!  
_

_**Lintered**  
**Jeck: **I love scaring random people in the library. I went there to do homework and ended up watching AMV Hell on there. I was pissing myself laughing at some parts and people just kept giving me the stink eye. :3 I enjoy it. I know, it's pretty hard to remember all of our craziness. We try though. The healing vagina thing was mostly Raxsah's idea, so give her the credit on that one. Colleen had to die. Just saying. She was the exception to the killing character rule. I'd love to drop out, but I'd have to pay about 60% of my tuition in addition to my tuition. So not happening. You'll just have to deal with updates being sparse sometimes. We're pretty on time this week though. :3  
**Raxsah:** Yes, I would say the same happened in my Library, but there is always someone doing something weird on my school. Believe it or not, we think of much weirder things, we just keep them to ourselves. And honestly, when you're running around in space and not wearing protection, shit happens. I can't drop out because my parents would kill me. Yeah… that and I have nothing else to do. XP  
_

_**klandgraf2007**  
**Raxsah: **Thanks! We appreciate it. Hope you liked this chapter.  
**Jeck:** I can't either! I love this story! UPDATE MORE JECK AND RAXSAH! Oh wait… never mind…_

_**nickiR0x **  
**Jeck: **Perhaps you should make up your own language! Jeck and Raxsah appreciation language! :3 Lol, I'm just kidding. (though if you want to, I'm not stopping you!) We've actually reached a part in the story where one major thing happens after another. We just started cramming all of our ideas in there. Hope this chapter was quick enough for you!  
**Raxsah:** I feel special. I'm glad you like the story. Hopefully we can surprise you a few times before it gets predictable. Hopefully. I think after this, we were just trying to get everything done, it got to the point where we threw random stuff in there so it wasn't one thing after the other. Hopefully we'll have the next chapter up next weekend. Hopefully.  
_

_**Raxsah: **Wow… we're actually in chapter 21. Makes me wonder how many chapters we have in the story.  
**Jeck: **I don't know… we started out with smaller chapters though and we've been increasing their length lately. *shrugs* Maybe we should sit down one day and just outline all the chapters in one day.  
**Raxsah: **That… takes effort which I don't have. Anyway, like before, we're thinking of having a contest. First to 100 gets a one shot. Same rules apply as before, and hopefully we'll have the other story out soon enough. Hopefully.  
**Jeck: **We're all about the hopefully part. Everything is up in the air when you're in college. (especially when you roommate hates you for busting her for drinking in the dorms) :3 I'm not a nice person. But we've also got ANOTHER contest too. The 50th and 100th reviewer is all by chance, but we'll be awarding the person who reviews the most a story of their own. Instead of a one-shot, it'll be a multi-chapter story. Incentive to review? Well, I hope so! :3  
**Raxsah:** Yeah, plus it gives us more of a reason to make our Sundays free. ;D This is all practice for when we publish our own book one day… if we ever write one. Hahahahaaa. Anyway, feel free to review and let us know what you think. Makes us happy to hear from you guys.  
**Jeck:** I'm sure we'll get around to it when we're rooming together in an apartment after college. Hopefully. It all goes back to hopefully.  
**Raxsah:** Keep your hopes up! Till next time lovelies!  
**Jeck: **I'm Jeck, this is Raxsah, and DON'T FIST FUCK A RAT!  
**Raxsah:**… You need to come home. Those people are teaching you crazy and… just wrong things.  
**Jeck:** :D_


	22. More Than A Feeling

Raxsah:

_Hello lovely readers, we have returned and we are still as fabulous as ever… well, except for a small cold and some other shit. Ugh, Fall sucks.  
__**Jeck: **__My gallbladder sucks… anyway, we're back to the regular updating schedule of every Sunday. Be happy!  
__**Raxsah: **__How long that will last is still up in the air. We're still very busy people… like right now. I'm sitting here watching Get Him to the Greek… very important stuff right here.  
__**Jeck: **__I'm preparing myself to go to the hospital tomorrow. Obviously slightly less important than what Raxsah is doing.  
__**Raxsah: **__Nonsense, the only thing that could be more important than this is your health… and watch Star Trek. I would hug you, but you're five hours away! You need to come home, I miss you too much.  
__**Jeck: **__I know, I miss you too! If we're lucky (or not in my case), my mom might bring me home so I can get checked out back at home. But enough about me, let's move our focus back to the story. I can't be the center of attention all the time. ;D  
__**Raxsah: **__Well if you insist. I think this chapter is fun… well the beginning is. I had almost as much fun writing it as the valentines day one… almost… ish.  
__**Jeck: **__That was me in the last chapter. I don't think we can beat the Valentine's Day chapter.  
__**Raxsah: **__No, that was just way too fun to write. And believe it or not, I think we held back in that chapter. Imagine what would have happened if we just let ourselves go. O.o  
__**Jeck: **__I'm not allowed to let myself go anymore. I scare children.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah… we don't talk about that anymore. Anyway, we should probably let our readers continue on with the story, so they can review. Remember, reviewer number 100 get's another one shot! Also, the person with the most reviews gets a multi-chapter mini story. Not as long as this one, but still. Go for it dude!  
__**Jeck: **__I went through all the reviews and we're counting them from here on out. SO REVIEW, MY PRETTIES! MAWHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!  
__**Raxsah: **__Poor thing, she's so sick she's turning into the wicked witch of the east… or was it west? I don't remember. Enjoy peeps!_

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Chapter 22; More Than a Feeling

* * *

"Claire." Claire felt herself coming out of her deep comforting sleep. She could have sworn that she heard someone call her name. After a moment of hearing nothing, she let herself slowly drift back to sleep.

"Claire." There it was again, but she couldn't recognize the voice.

"Claire. Claire. Claire." Finally, Claire opened her eyes and turned her head in the direction the voice was coming from.

"Jim… did you hear that?" She asked, shaking him awake.

"Hm? What?" He asked, jolted from his sleep.

"That voice…" She trailed off, waiting for the voice to speak again. Jim looked around with groggy eyes before turning over.

"Come on, babe. Let's go back to sleep," he suggested. Claire was about to settle back down, but a loud thump caused her to jump.

"Claire." she opened her eyes just to see a naked man sitting at the end of her bed. A man who was not her boyfriend, and someone she had never seen.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" she screamed, jumping and falling out of the bed. Jim sat up and looked over at her, before his gaze moved back over to the guy at the end of the bed.

"HOLY SHIT!" he hissed, jumping out of the bed. Claire sat up and tried to shield her eyes away from the naked man.

"Claire, feed me!" the man demanded. Claire stood and backed up against the wall. The man had dark tan skin, and black hair. His eyes were a dark brown, and full of emotion. He also had a bit of scruff on him as well.

"Uh…" she glanced around the room, wondering where he dog had gone, but couldn't find him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Jim hissed. The man just turned toward him and growled, like actually growled.

"Be quiet, human. I was speaking to my master, not you!" he snapped. Claire shook her head and rubbed her eyes.

"I've got to still be dreaming," she muttered.

"Claire, I'm hungry… feed me! Please?" the man asked. There was a high pitched whining and Claire looked up, realizing that there was a red collar on the mans neck. After a second later, she realized that he was wearing the same collar as her dog was.

"Rocky!" she called. The minute his name left her lips the man on the bed sat up straighter, and she was sure that if he was a dog, his ears would have perked up. Only then did it click.

"Oh shit…" she whispered. Jim looked over at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" he asked. She covered her mouth with her hands and turned back to Jim.

"He's the dog!" she practically screamed. Jim gave her an incredulous look.

"Uh… Claire…" she shook her head and walked over to Jim, completely ignoring the man on the bed.

"No, he's the dog. Watch," she said. She then turned to the man and took a deep breath. "Rocky, lay down!" she commanded.

"Yes, Claire…" the man said, laying down on the bed like a dog would. Jim's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline and turned to his girlfriend.

"This guy's the dog…" he told her. She rolled her eyes.

"I just said that." Jim looked back at the man and ran a hand over his face.

"Holy shit…" Rocky looked up at her with his big brown eyes.

"Please master, feed me. I'm hungry," Rocky said, giving Claire the most pathetic look ever. Claire sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Alright… Jim, can you lend Rocky some clothes? Then we can all go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat," Claire suggested. Jim sighed and nodded. He rose from the bed, causing Rocky to jump up and growl at him.

"Claire… the strange man is moving!" Rocky called out. Jim jumped back and stood next to Claire as Rocky glared at him.

"It's okay, Rocky. Jim is a good man," Claire reassured him. Rocky didn't respond, but he took a few steps back.

"I don't like him. He makes you scream a lot at night," Rocky stated. Claire felt her cheeks go red as Jim puffed his chest out a little bit.

"Yeah, I do, don't I?" He asked with a cocky grin. Claire lightly slapped him across the chest.

"Not now, Jim," she snapped. Jim smiled at her and pulled her in for a hug before turned to look back at Rocky.

"Um, Claire?"

"Yeah?" She asked, letting her cheek rest against Jim's chest.

"I think perhaps it would be a good idea to teach the dog how to use a toilet," he suggested.

"Why?" She asked as she turned around to look at Rocky. The man who was supposed to be her dog was letting a yellow stream of urine flow out all over her bed.

"That would be why," Jim said, pointing to the man.

"BAD DOG!" Rocky jumped off the bed and dropped his head in shame. Claire gave a frustrated groan as she turned back to Jim, burying her face in his chest. After a minute she pulled away and took a deep breath.

"I'm going to take a shower. Can you find him some clothes, we need to figure this out…" He nodded and kissed the top of her head.

"I'll… try and help him. Just tell him to listen to me," he said. She turned toward her 'dog' and gave him a stern look.

"Rocky, listen to Jim, and do as he says, no mater what…" Rocky nodded his head vigorously and let his tongue stick out. Jim watched as she grabbed a few clothes and walked into the bathroom, leaving him to tend to the 'dog.'

"Oh… this should be fun…"

* * *

"You couldn't teach him to walk?" she whispered. Jim shot her a look.

"Are you kidding? It took me thirty minutes to put the damn pants on. By the time the clothes were on you were out of the shower and it seemed pointless to try and teach him." Claire sighed and watched as Rocky walked down the hallway, his ass in the air, and his nose sniffing the ground. They stopped at the lift and Rocky sat while they waited.

"Claire, can you scratch my belly? Please?" Claire paused and looked at Jim, who was trying not to laugh.

"Maybe later, Rocky…" All of a sudden, he practically lunged at her and warped his arms around her middle. The impact almost made her fall over if it wasn't for Jim holding her up.

"Please! Please Claire! I really want you to scratch my belly!" he cried. Claire sighed.

"Fine Rocky," Claire said in defeat. Rocky smiled and let his tongue hang out as he flipped himself onto his back.

"Yay!" Claire carefully lowered herself onto her knees and leaned over to rub her human dog's belly. Rocky giggled as her fingertips danced against his stomach. Jim tried to hold back his smile, but was failing utterly.

"Jim, wipe that grin off your face," she demanded. Jim chuckled.

"You're not even looking at me," he replied. Claire turned to look at him while she continued to rub Rocky's belly.

"I don't have to be looking at you to know you're grinning at me. Stop it!" She said with a small smile. Jim said nothing as the lift door opened up to Ryan and Anna looking down at them. Claire's hand was still on Rocky's belly and Jim had a confident smile on his face.

"Well… good morning. Who's this?" Anna asked, gesturing to Rocky. Rocky jumped up from the ground and tackled Anna to the floor. Before Claire or Jim could say anything, Ryan pulled his phaser out from his belt and stunned the dog trapped in a human's body.

"Ryan! That was Rocky!" Claire snapped as she ran to her fallen dog. Rocky was laying unconscious on top of Anna. Jim and Ryan lifted the man off her and rested him up against the wall.

"Claire, Rocky is a dog. This is a strange man," Ryan said, looking down at the limp man. True, he did look similar to the dog, but he was obviously very human.

"Look, I don't know what happened, but my dog is now that human. And you just zapped him!" Claire declared, slapping her brother on the arm. Ryan shrugged.

"How was I supposed to know?" He countered. Anna sighed and pointed to Rocky.

"Perhaps you should have potty trained him first…" She said, gesturing to the puddle forming on the floor.

"Aw man, I liked those pants too!" Jim snapped, furrowing his eyebrows.

"BAD DOG!" Claire snapped. Ryan placed an arm on her shoulder.

"It's not like he can hear you or anything…" Ryan reminded her. Claire sighed and ran both hands through her hair.

"I know, but it makes me feel better!"

* * *

"Morning," Ryan said as they took a seat next to Rupert and Oliver. Claire and Anna followed him, both of them carrying two trays. Finally, Jim sat down next to them with Rocky cradled in his arms.

"Why do you have your dog with you?" Oliver asked. Everyone turned to look at him.

"Oliver, you know that's a human right?" Rupert asked. Ryan shook his head.

"No, actually Oliver was correct. That would be Rocky in human form. I'm just shocked that Oliver guessed," Ryan explained. Rupert nodded and turned back to Oliver.

"How did you know?" Oliver shrugged.

"Mr. Ruffles told me. Besides, it's kind of obvious," he stated before digging into his oatmeal. Jim shrugged and sat Rocky down in between him and Claire. Claire passed him a tray while Anna put a tray in front of Rocky.

"Dogs never say no to food," Anna stated. Just as the words left her mouth, Rocky woke up.

"FOOD!" He cried out, shoving his face into his plate of eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast. Claire sighed and she turned back to her own tray.

"I think I just lost my appetite," she mumbled. Jim nodded as he began to cut up his waffle. Before anything else could be said, McCoy approached their table.

"Who on Earth is that?" McCoy asked, pointing to Rocky as he continued to inhale his food.

"That would be Rocky, Claire's dog," Jim stated. McCoy raised one of his eyebrows.

"That's not Claire's mutt. That's a human, Jim." Jim shrugged.

"Call him what you will, but that is definitely Rocky." No one said anything as Rocky finished licking at his plate. He looked up at Claire, food smeared all over his face and looked down at her barely touched food.

"Mine?" He asked. Claire shrugged.

"Go for it," she told him, shoving the tray towards him. Rocky wasted no time in repeating his actions of diving into the plate of food. Claire really didn't want her pancakes anyway.

"So why is your dog a human now, Dr. Conaway?" McCoy asked, taking a seat next to Jim. Claire shrugged.

"No idea. Jim and I woke up this morning and he was just there. We have no idea what happened," she explained. Ryan shrugged.

"We're not having much luck this year, are we? It's just one thing right after another. Last night, things that kill you in your sleep. Today, your dog is now a person. Tomorrow? Well… I'm kind of afraid to see what might happen," he said. Anna rolled her eyes.

"Shut up, Ryan. No one thinks you're funny," she snapped. Ryan pulled her into a sideways hug.

"You think I'm hilarious, babe. Don't deny it," he said in a seductive tone. Anna smiled, but shook her head.

"Only in your wildest dreams," she countered.

"Okay lovebirds, you can stop flirting now. We've kind of got a situation here," McCoy said pointedly. The two pulled away from each other and turned back to the rest of the table.

"Sorry."

"Anyway, bring the dog down to sickbay after you all eat and we'll run some tests on him. I'm by no means a veterinarian, but it'll get me out of tending to all the injured people from last night. Good day," McCoy said as he rose from the table and left. Jim chuckled.

"And he calls me lazy!"

"That's because you are lazy, Jim," Claire told him. Jim folded his arms and turned to Rocky.

"Rocky, do you think I'm lazy?" Rocky looked up from his food and growled at Jim.

"I believe that answers your question," Oliver told him. Jim shot Oliver a glare.

"No one asked you!" Rocky growled at Jim once more before turning back to his food.

"He really doesn't like you… does he?" Anna asked. Ryan just smile and ruffled Rocky's hair.

"I'm pretty sure he hates my guts…" Jim said.

"Now would probably be a good time to ask him why," Ryan said. Anna nodded and leaned toward the man.

"Rocky," she said softly. The man looked up from his food, and the whole table needed to repress the urge to laugh at the syrup and pancakes stuck to his face.

"Yes?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Why do you hate Jim?" she asked. Rocky turned toward Jim and growled, then looked back to Anna.

"He hurt my master, I hate him for hurting my master. First, he made her upset and toss in her sleep time, then he made her cry non-stop, then he made her unhappy for a long time, and then yesterday he makes her scream. He hurts my master, and I don't like that." He snapped. Claire frowned and realized Rocky was there to witness when she was at her lowest, after being on Riley's ship. She recalled many nights where he would jump on her bed and snuggle close to her, making her feel a bit safer. He was the shoulder to cry on when she had no one. Claire placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.

"Rocky…" she said tenderly. Jim looked at Claire, and sighed. The mans- or dogs- words made him remember those long couple of months where they were apart, and he left her to fend for herself. He knew damn well that he had practically broken her, but he just ignored that and tried to make up for it now. He was going to try his damn hardest not to hurt him again, even if that meant making best friends with her dog.

"Hey, we should probably get him to McCoy," Claire said. Jim nodded and stuffed a piece of waffle in his mouth.

"Yeah, come on… let's go see Bones," he told the dog. Rocky instantly jumped up, knocking a few things off the table, and causing a few people's breakfast to fall on them.

"Bones?" Rocky asked, eyes wide and a large smile on his face. Claire rolled her eyes and lightly tugged on his collar.

"You had to say bones…" she muttered. Jim frowned and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, let's go."

* * *

Claire stood next to Jim as they watched McCoy examine Rocky. She was slightly curious as to why he hadn't gone to the bridge to do captain work, but didn't ask. She was glad she had him around. Jim wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

"Well, what's the diagnosis Bones?" Jim asked. McCoy sighed an walked over to them.

"I think I know what caused it… after some help from Spock," McCoy told them.

"Is he going to be alright? Or is he going to stay a human forever?" she asked. McCoy shook his head and looked back at the man, who was trying to scratch his ear with his foot.

"No… when that dream alien was destroyed, it released a wave of energy that traveled through the ship. Strangely, the energy seemed to consume itself in Rocky, who apparently wanted to be a human. It should only last for forty-eight hours," McCoy told him. Claire gave a small sigh of relief, but frowned upon seeing her 'dog' try and lick under his leg.

"Two days… of this?" She asked softly.

"Sorry, best to try and just deal with it until it's over…" She nodded and moved so she was in his line of vision. Upon seeing her he jumped off the bed and tackled her to the ground.

"Master! I missed you! You left me forever ago! I'm so glad you're back!" he cried. He then leaned down and licked her face, from her jaw up to her hair line.

"EWWW!" she screeched. Jim walked over and pulled the man off of her and glared at him.

"Sit!" he hissed, his tone commanding. Claire recognized that voice, that was his captain's voice. Rocky paused before sitting down on the ground and hanging his head in shame. Jim turned back to Claire and helped her off the ground.

"Jesus… this is going to be a long couple of days," she muttered. Jim nodded and turned back to the dog.

"You're telling me. This is so going to effect our sex life…"

* * *

"So… why aren't you doing your captain thing?" Claire asked, sitting on the couch and watching Rocky watch TV with amazement.

"I took the day off. Originally, I planned something else to do today," he confessed. Claire frowned and patted his arm.

"I'm sorry," she said. He shrugged and pulled her closer on the couch.

"It's all good…" he told her. She sighed and intertwined her fingers with his.

"Still…" Jim simply watched as Claire began to watch the screen as well. The moment reminded him of when they had their second, maybe third date here. They had been so comfortable, it was almost scary. Now, as they sat here once more, he realized how much he loved just laying around with her in his arms. They were comfortable together no matter what situation. Jim pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.

"Hey… I was wondering…" he started. Claire looked up at him, her grey eyes curious.

"You were wondering what?" she asked.

"I was… I was wondering if you would uh… if you would consider moving in with me," he asked. Claire paused before turning back to the TV.

"Move in…?" she asked. He nodded.

"As in, you take your stuff from your room, and put it in here. Every night you come here to sleep, and hang out…" he said. She pressed her lips together and looked down at their intertwined hands.

"Are you sure? I mean… that's a big step…" he nodded and pulled her closer, as if to say he didn't want her to go anywhere.

"I am completely sure." Claire nodded and thought it over for a long moment before turning toward him.

"Okay, I'll move in with you." He smiled and looked her over.

"Really? You don't think it's too soon?" he asked. She shrugged and turned back to Rocky.

"No… I mean, we've been through a lot. Even in the short time we've known each other. I wouldn't agree if I wasn't sure." He smiled and pulled her toward him, placing his lips to her and giving her a small, yet sensual kiss. Just as he did, Rocky growled, causing Jim to break away and give a small sigh.

"Damn…" Claire pulled away and grabbed her data pad.

"Listen, I need to go make sure he has enough clothes, I know he said he can use yours, but Liam said his dad sent him a bunch of clothes he's never going to wear. I'm going to pick those up." He nodded and gave her hand a squeeze.

"I'll see you when you get back," he told her. She smiled and gave a quick peck on the lips. She stood up and began walking out of the door, only to have Rocky come up and wrap his arms around her wait. Jim felt a pang of jealousy run through him, but pushed it away when he reminded himself that he was still a dog.

"Rocky, I'll be right back. I need to get you more clothes! It's only going to take a few seconds," she said, prying his arms off him.

"I'll miss you!" she turned toward him and gave a small smile before heading out and leaving him alone with Jim. Jim sighed and looked at the man.

"Rocky… come here," he called. Rocky paused before bounding over and sitting on the couch.

"Yes?" he asked. Jim sighed and looked at him.

"We need to talk, about Claire…" Rocky tilted his head to the side.

"About master? What about her?" he asked.

"I want you to know, that what happened a while ago… was my fault. She was sad because of me," Jim told him. Rocky growled at him.

"You made Claire sad!" he hissed. Jim nodded.

"I did… but I'm making her happy now. Doesn't she seem much happier now?" Rocky paused before nodding.

"Yes, she seems so…" Jim nodded and smiled at the dog.

"I'm going to try and make her the happiest woman out there… if you let me," he said. Rocky nodded vigorously.

"Yes, make her happy. I like it when master is happy!" Jim laughed and was about to say something, when the door opened and Claire walked in.

"I got the- Holy shit!" She cried when Rocky jumped on her.

"You're back! You're back! I missed you! Why were you gone for forever? Don't leave me!" Rocky said, practically pinning her to the ground and licking her face.

"Rocky! You're too heavy!" she mumbled, trying to push him off of her. Rocky backed off and sat right next to her, a large smile on his face.

"You alright?" Jim asked, walking over and helping her up. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I can't wait till he's a dog again," she muttered. Jim chuckled and nodded.

* * *

"And what are we doing again? Unlike you, I don't have the day off," Ryan snapped as he walked through the halls with Jim and Rocky.

"We can't just keep Rocky cooped up in Claire's room all day. He needs some exercise," Jim explained as they paused in front of a door.

"And we are?" Ryan asked as he raised an eyebrow. Jim motioned for him to follow as the door opened and Rocky took off inside.

"A holodeck. I programmed a little something for Rocky earlier today," Jim explained as they followed the man/dog. Rocky was busy sniffing around.

"An open field? Quite original. Program any toys for him?" Ryan asked as he glanced over the beautiful hilly landscape. Jim nodded and picked up a Frisbee.

"I came prepared," Jim said. He turned to Rocky and whistled. The man's head shot up and he caught sight of the red round Frisbee.

"MINE!" he cried, running after the Frisbee. Ryan just shook his head as he watched a grown man run on all fours to catch a Frisbee.

"I'm pretty sure this is beyond pathetic," Ryan muttered. Jim shrugged and watched as he caught in in his mouth and began to run back.

"Well, keeps him entertained, and Claire worry free. I have to actually work tomorrow so I can't help her with him," he said. Ryan pressed his lips together and gave a strained nod as he grabbed the Frisbee from Rocky.

"Good plan. Fetch!" Ryan shouted, throwing the Frisbee as far as he could. Rocky smiled and took off, leaving the two men alone.

"How are you and Anna?" Jim asked. Ryan gave him a look, showing he was uncomfortable, but gave a small shrug.

"Just fine. You know how new love is, exciting and romantic."

"Yeah, I guess it is," he agreed. Rocky came back and Jim went to grab the Frisbee, but sighed when Rocky jumped out of reach. He tried again but achieved the same result.

"Having trouble?" Ryan asked. Jim rolled his eyes and finally took a hold of the toy and threw it once more. The two men stood in silence and Jim shifted uncomfortably. He wanted to keep the conversation going, but he was unsure how to do it. He figured talking about his girlfriend would work, but that only seemed to make the tension between them worse. He was running out of things to talk about. It seemed like the only thing the two men really did have in common was Claire.

"So…" Ryan said, his arms crossed against his buff chest.

"So," Jim replied. Ryan sighed.

"I'm not going to bite, I swear. You're not my favorite person in the world, but it doesn't mean that I'm going to slash your throat or anything," Ryan told him, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Er, thanks. That was a bit much though," Jim scratched the back of his head as Rocky brought the Frisbee back once more. Without a word, Ryan snatched it out of his mouth, made to throw the Frisbee, and quick put it behind his back before Rocky realized what had happened. Rocky took off to where he thought the Frisbee landed.

"Just making a point," Ryan stated.

"That was kind of mean, don't you think?" Jim asked, gesturing to Rocky. Ryan shrugged.

"I did it to him all the time when he was a dog. He doesn't know the difference," Ryan explained. Jim nodded and they stood in silence once more.

"I don't really know what to talk about it," Jim finally said, causing Ryan to jump a bit at the sound of his voice.

"Silence doesn't have to be a bad thing," Ryan told him. Jim nodded as Rocky returned.

"I could not find the Circle of Fun!" Rocky told them. Ryan pulled the Frisbee back out and actually threw it back out into the open meadow.

"Our silences just seem to be of the awkward variety," Jim offered as they watched Rocky run.

"They don't have to be. We don't have a lot in common. You talking about my sister makes me want to punch you, so the only thing connecting us is a taboo topic. Just enjoy the company with the silence," Ryan told him. They turned back to watching Rocky, this time without interrupting the silence.

* * *

"Where were you?" Anna asked as Ryan returned to their room at the end of the day. Jim had showed up in the security office earlier that day and demanded Ryan join him on a secret mission. That's all Anna had heard as Ryan disappeared with the captain who was supposed to have the day off.

"Holodeck 11. Jim needed help taking care of Rocky," Ryan admitted as he striped his shirt off. Anna was already comfortable in her dark blue sweatpants with a white wife beater, spread across the bed with a book in her hands.

"So he pulled you away from a busy day at work to play with Claire's dog?" Anna asked, though Ryan was surprised to hear no hostility in her voice. Normally she'd be swearing at him in Spanish, but tonight she was not.

"Yeah… are you okay, babe?" Ryan asked as he pulled off his boots and unbuckled his black belt. Anna nodded and turned back to her boot.

"I'm getting used to all the crazy things that comes along with being your girlfriend," Anna said as she flipped another page in her book. Ryan pulled his pants off and sat on the edge of bed where Anna was.

"You sure that's it?" He asked. Anna nodded.

"Yeah, don't worry. If there was something, I'd tell you," Anna explained without looking up from her book. Ryan nodded.

"If you're sure." She gave another nod and closed her book, turning to smile at him.

"I'm just tired. Work is tough when you aren't there to supervise," she confessed. He gave a small smile and moved so he was leaning against the head board. She moved so she was laying on her back and let her head rest on his stomach. He smiled down at her and let his hand rest on her legs.

"I'm sorry, if I would have known it was just going to be him and I playing fetch, I would have said no," he muttered. She chuckled and closed her eyes, letting her fingers tap on his chest.

"Well, not much you can do about it," she told him. He nodded and ran a hand through her thick hair. She smiled and enjoyed the feeling of his fingers messaging her scalp. Ryan paused and looked down at her.

"I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you," he whispered. Anna paused and looked up at him, her chocolate brown eyes meeting his bright grey.

"Wow…" she breathed. He continued to look at her, hoping that she was say something other than 'wow.'

"Uh… that's not the reaction I was expecting," he said. She blushed and sat up, looking him in the eye.

"I love you too, it's just… weird saying it, or hearing it, for the first time," she told him. He smiled and pulled her close to him, pressing his lips onto hers. She chuckled and kissed him back.

"Man, I'm exhausted," Ryan mumbled as he readjusted himself on the bed and let himself lay back on the pillow. Anna chuckled.

"You played fetch with a dog all day," Anna said with a chuckle. Ryan smiled.

"Rocky's a human now and he's full of energy. It's ridiculous," Ryan explained. Anna nodded and laid down next to her boyfriend.

"You're just out of shape, Ryan Conaway," Anna told him as she yawned and closed her eyes.

"I am not!"

* * *

Claire rose from her bed as a knock fell upon the door.

"Who is it?" She called out.

"It's Rupert!" Claire crossed the room and opened the door to find Rupert standing sheepishly at the door.

"What's up?" She asked. Rupert didn't respond. Instead, he thrust a plastic bag into her arms. "What's this?"

"Diapers," he stated. Claire raised an eyebrow.

"Um, I'm been potty trained for over twenty-one years now," she told him. Rupert blushed and nodded.

"They're not for you, they're for Rocky. So he doesn't pee everywhere and you don't have to go through the hassle of potty training him for only two days," Rupert explained. Claire nodded.

"Thanks… wait, why do you even have diapers?" Claire asked again. Rupert rubbed the back of his head.

"I get them for Oliver," he told her. Claire wanted to push the subject, but at the same time, she didn't think she really wanted to know. Instead, she left it at that.

"Well, thanks anyway Rupert. This will sure help," she said, trying to seem as sincere as possible. She was grateful, but the whole thing just seemed weird. He gave a nod and shifted his weight awkwardly.

"Yeah, well… I best be going. I hope your shoulder feels better," he said. She gave a puzzled look and realized she had a ice pack tied onto her shoulder. She took if off and gave a small smile.

"Thanks, I guess I'll see you around," she suggested. Rupert nodded and walked away, leaving Claire alone in her room once more. She placed the diapers on her desk and threw the ice pack out right before the doors opened and she was tackled to the ground.

"Master, master! I found the Circle of Fun!" he told her, licking her face a few times. She groaned and shoved the man off of her.

"Really?" she asked, trying not to snap at him. It wasn't his fault that he was a human. Jim gently pushed the man to the side and helped her to her feet.

"I thought I tired him out, I'm sorry," he said. She shrugged and handed him the diapers.

"I hate to throw this on you, but I potty trained him the first time," she said. Jim pressed his lips together before a smile came to his lips.

"I'll get someone to do it… maybe a doctor from sickbay… how about the Giles guy?" he asked. Claire chuckled and shrugged.

"Go for it, it's your ship… isn't it?" she asked. He smirked and pulled her closer.

"It is, and you are one of my doctors," he said, his hands on her waist. She raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? And what does that entail?" she asked. An sly smirk came to his lips and he leaned down.

"Well, lieutenant, I'm thinking we can start with you following some of my orders," he whispered. She chuckled and tilted her head.

"Oh, well, doctors orders trump captains orders, just remember that, Captain," she whispered. He gave a small groan and gave her a slow sensual kiss.

"Then why don't we play doctor instead?" before she could reply, Rocky tackled Jim to the ground, and Claire fell on top of him.

"I'm hungry! Feed me!" Rocky cried. Claire sighed and shot a look at her dog.

"I think I'm going to call Spike before this dog does another thing to ruin the mood."

* * *

"Alex?" Alex's eyes snapped open. Was it really him?

"Liam?" Alex asked in a weak voice. Just as the name rolled off of his lips, said man appeared in the doorway.

"Hey," Liam said nervously, taking a few insecure steps into the room. Alex smiled.

"Hey." Not knowing what else to say, Liam took seat next to his former lover.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. Alex reached out and grabbed the man's hand.

"A lot better now that you're here. Ever since I woke up, I wanted to see the real you," Alex explained.

"The real me? As opposed to the fake me?" Liam asked with a small smile. Alex returned the smile.

"As opposed to the dream you," he explained. Liam nodded, understanding what Alex meant.

"Is that where the boner came from then?" Liam asked before his brain could stop him. He covered his mouth, realizing what he just said. Alex's face turned a deep red as he looked down in shame.

"Can I not answer that one?" He asked in a weak voice.

"I'd prefer you not anyway," Liam replied, already knowing the answer. Alex nodded.

"Anyway, I really wanted to thank you for helping me get out of that dream world. I probably wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you," Alex admitted. Liam shook his head.

"It wasn't just me, it was everyone. Even Spike helped out some. We all care about you…" At first, Alex's face lit up at his words. However, the look lasted for a moment.

"But you don't care about me the way you used too…" He trailed off. Liam sighed as his heart fell at the sad look Alex was giving him.

"Alex, I can't. Not yet, anyway. But I'm prepared to be your friend. After what happened… I don't want to fight anymore," Liam explained. Alex nodded, he was a fool to think that they could just go back.

"I understand…" he said. Liam just watched him for a moment before he took a deep breath.

"I just…" he stopped and Alex turned back to him.

"You just… what? You can ask me anything… I promise I'll answer," Alex told him. Liam took a moment to collect himself before her took a step toward him.

"Why did you do it? And why with Claire of all people?" Alex sighed and looked to the ceiling, his thoughts trying to collect themselves.

"There is no excuse. But I guess, at the time, I just missed… being with a woman. I mean, I love you, Liam… but… I don't like men. When I saw Claire that night… well, you know what she sleeps in. It's not like she's wearing sweaters and sweatpants. I just… I saw everything that I used to love. Back when we first got on the ship, I really did like her. So that night, after she woke up from that nightmare, I just held her… and every thought and feeling from the beginning awoke and I made a bad judgment call." Liam sighed and looked down at the floor.

"Bad judgment call indeed…" he agreed. Alex sighed and looked at his former lover.

"I regret it every damn day," he whispered. Liam pressed his lips together and looked back at him. After a minute of silence Liam cleared his throat.

"I guess I should be going," he said. Alex nodded and looked down in shame. Liam rose from his seat and headed for the door.

"Good-bye," Alex whispered sadly. Liam paused.

"I'm glad you were honest. Thank you. I'll come visit again later," Liam told him, silently promising to Alex that it wasn't completely the end. Alex gave him a weak smiled as Liam left. Once he was out of the room, Liam paused and placed his face in his hands.

"Where did it all go wrong…" He mumbled.

* * *

"It's been forty-five hours since Rocky's transformation," McCoy stated as he gave the dog turned human a check up. Rocky sat patiently, staring intently at Claire. Claire wrapped her arms around herself, a little unnerved by his stare.

"I hated it when he did that as a dog too," she whispered to Liam. He nodded as McCoy straightened up and turned to them.

"Rocky should return to himself later tonight, probably when you're asleep. I recommend not feeding him any more people food. It might upset his stomach when he returns to a dog," McCoy explained. Claire nodded.

"Thank you so much, Dr. McCoy. Rocky, come," Claire instructed. Rocky jumped off the table and gracefully landed on all fours.

"Want me to stop by later?" Liam asked, but Claire shook her head.

"Nah, I think I'm good. Hopefully it's just a chill day with watching movies and packing stuff," she confessed. Liam raised an eyebrow and walked with her as they headed toward the sickbay exit.

"Packing?" he asked. She nodded and blushed lightly.

"Jim asked me to move in with him," she confessed. Liam chuckled and nudged her lightly.

"Ah, this way it's a lot easier to get away with the nitty gritty when you both share a bed. You naughty girl. I bet you guys spend hours playing doctor, or better yet, Captain and his ensign-"

"I'm a lieutenant!" Claire defended, but stopped when she realized her words hurt her rather than defend her.

"Have you gotten to play prisoner yet?" he asked. He paused and looked at her wrists. "Since you don't have any rope burns, you must be tying him up. How wonderfully kinky!" Claire's face was apple red when they reached the doors.

"I'm ending this conversation now. Bye Liam, come on Rocky," she said. Liam giggled like a school girl and walked back into sickbay, while Claire began to make her way to the lift.

"Claire, will you play doctor with me?" he asked. Claire turned deathly pale and saw a few crew members give her a funny look as she made her way down the hall.

"No, now keep quiet and keep up!" Claire hissed, walking to the lift. She'd have to kill Liam later for teaching the damn dog that particular vernacular.

* * *

"You ready?" Claire looked up from her suitcase to see none other than Ryan in her doorway.

"Ready for what?"

"Jim is in a meeting with some of his other senior members and sent me to help move in with him," Ryan explained. Claire sighed.

"How romantic and helpful of him," she muttered under her breath. Ryan chuckled and walked farther into her room.

"Anything I can help with then?" He asked. Claire shook her head.

"I was actually just going to put Rocky to work and help me carry this stuff," she told him as she turned around, searching for her dog turned human. When she found nothing, she began to feel an icy panic take over.

"Where is Rocky?" Ryan asked, also searching around the room.

"I don't know…" she confessed. She dropped the rest of her things on top of her suitcase and headed towards the bathroom. Perhaps he was trying to drink out of the toilet again.

"I found him, Claire!" Ryan called out from inside her room. Claire whirled around and returned to her room to find Ryan stroking a dog nose sticking out from under the bed.

"Rocky?" Claire asked. Hearing his name, Rocky darted out from under the bed and dashed towards his master, tackling her to the ground. Claire was relieved to see that Rocky had successfully transformed back into his old self and began to scratch him behind his ears.

"I'm glad to see he finally switched back," Ryan stated, pulling Rocky off to the side, allowing Claire to rise to her feet.

"Me too. Though I suppose I will be needing your help after all," she admitted as Ryan nodded, grabbing a bag by the door and slinging it over his shoulders. Claire went to move back to her suitcase, but was stopped when Ryan grabbed onto her arm.

"It seems like some things don't change," Ryan pointed out, gesturing to the corner. Claire thought her jaw was going to drop when she noticed Rocky peeing against the wall in the corner.

"BAD DOG!"

* * *

Ryan sighed as he ran a shaky hand through his blonde hair. Because of how busy his schedule had been lately, he'd been neglecting to get a haircut. So now, his blonde locks had grown out to slightly longer than mid-length.

"Planning on getting a cut anytime soon?" Rupert asked as he entered the room. Ryan jumped slightly, but relaxed when he realized it was just his best friend.

"I just haven't found the time. Between work and trying to keep this ship from going crazy…" Ryan trailed off, looking over his record of the last month. Rupert looked over the man's shoulder.

"Things have been pretty chill since the whole episode with Rocky last week and we haven't had much of a need for security, so what the hell could you be up to?" He asked. Ryan sighed and ran a hand through his hair again.

"I don't know… files, reports, and all the other boring things my job entails," he explained. Rupert nodded, but grabbed the edge of the man's seat.

"Come with me.

* * *

Claire practically squealed in joy as the words left McCoy's mouth.

"You can come back to work."

"THANK YOU!" Claire cried out, throwing her arms around her boss' neck. McCoy froze up at the touch before gently patting her on the back.

"Yeah, right. Uh, so get to work," he instructed, almost jumping out of her grip. Claire released him and he fled to the safety of his office.

"Did you just hug McCoy?" Liam asked from his patient charts. Claire smiled and shrugged.

"I'm just happy that I get to come back to work!" She exclaimed. Before Liam could reply, Anna entered sickbay.

"Hey Claire!" She said, seeing the smile spread wide across her best female friend's face.

"Yo Anna! Check it out, I'm back at work!" Claire said, gesturing to her doctor's uniform. Anna chuckled as she approached the doctor and the gay doctor next to her.

"Congratulations. So hey, I kind of wanted to talk to you about your hair…" Claire raised an eyebrow at Anna's words.

"What about it?"

"It's gotten kind of long. Were you thinking about getting it cut anytime soon?" Anna asked, with a sly look in her eyes. Claire was slightly hesitant in answering,

"I don't know, I don't really have the time now that I'm working again and I was so absorbed with moving in with Jim that I haven't really thought about it," Claire mused, realizing how long her hair really had gotten, it now reached just above her waist and had a bit too many split ends.

"Tell me about it. Claire, you hair hasn't been cut almost since before you got on the _Enterprise_. You need a haircut like real bad. Let's go get one now," Anna suggest.

"I can't, Anna. Hello, job again. I can't just leave," Claire snapped. Anna sighed.

"Come with me."

* * *

Ryan gave a heavy sigh as he turned toward the mirror, and froze with horror.

"What the hell did you do to my head?" he snapped. Rupert just watched in horror as his friend grabbed a hold of his new curly locks. The hairdresser looked down at him in shock.

"I'm sorry… I read the order, Conaway, curled and trimmed," she said. Ryan turned toward her and glared.

"I didn't ask for a curl, I asked for it cut short," he snapped. The woman paused before glancing at her data pad and frowning.

"I'm sorry… I have you mixed up with someone else," she confessed.

"Who could you possibly have me mixed up with?" he asked. There was a pause before a high pitched scream echoed through the deck, causing both men to exchange a look.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY HAIR?" Someone cried. Both men walked into the other section and froze. There sat Claire in the salon chair, her eyes wide, and tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Next to her, the hair stylist with what looked to be more then half her hair in his hand. It seemed that he just pulled it in a pony tail and cut it all off.

"I'm sorry, you asked for it to be cut short!" he said.

"I asked for a damn trim and for it to be curled!" she snapped.

"Like Ryan's hair?" Rupert asked. Claire turned around and caught a glimpse of her brother before turning to Anna, who was trying her hardest not to laugh at her boyfriend. He looked like poodle, a primed and oversized poodle, but a poodle none the less.

"What the hell happened to you?" Anna asked.

"The hair dresser got me and Claire mixed up. She curled my hair and trimmed it. It looks like yours just cut all off, Claire." Claire paused before frowning and beginning to cry.

"I'm so sorry! I will make it up to you! I promise!" the hair stylist said. Claire shot him a look.

"And how are you going to do that?" she snapped.

* * *

"Oh come on… it's not that bad," Anna said. Claire gave a frustrate groan as she attempted to cover her hair within the confines of her hat. Not that it was hard to stuff under there, she only had maybe a fourth of the amount of hair she had before.

"It is that bad! I wanted a trim!" she whined. Anna rolled her eyes and took a bite of her lunch.

"Claire, don't worry about it. Your hair will grow back, and the dye is only going to last for a couple of days," Anna pointed out. Claire sighed and moved her tray aside so she could bang her head once on the table. Just as Anna was about to say something, a tray slammed down and she looked to see her newly groomed boyfriend sit across from her. She pressed her lips together and willed herself not to laugh as she tried to talk to him.

"So… what did the lady say?" she asked. Ryan gave an awkward cough and took a bite out of his hamburger.

"It's going to stay like this for the rest of the day, but by tomorrow the curls will be out and she'll cut my hair for real this time," he said. Alex took the opportunity to sit down across from Claire and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Alex asked.

"I'm having a bad day," she muttered.

"Oh please, how bad can it be? You're allowed back at work, aren't you?" he asked. Claire sighed and sat up, pressing her lips together.

"You want to see how bad it is?" she asked. Alex nodded and Claire pulled off her hat, letting her new, short hair fall out. It was layered and reached about her shoulders, and was a deep red color.

"Holy shit!" Alex said. Claire frowned and went to cover her head once more, but didn't hide it before Liam saw the damage.

"What the fuck did you do to your hair?" he snapped. Claire sighed and pulled the baseball cap forward, as to hide her face.

"I'm not talking about it. I'm going to mope during lunch and then go to work," she muttered.

"Can't be worse than Ryan, poor bloke has to go to the security office looking like… that," Rupert muttered. Claire looked at her brother and then broke into a fit of laughter. Ryan rolled his eyes and tried to ran a hand through his hair, only to get his fingers tangled in the many curls.

"God damnit…" he muttered.

"Ah… I feel a bit better," Claire said. Ryan shot her a look.

"Oh yeah, have you shown Jim your new hair?" he asked. Claire stopped laughing before glaring at her brother and throwing her pudding at him, much to the disappointment of Alex.

"Why would you waste perfectly good pudding like that?" He snapped. Claire rolled her eyes at his comment.

"Alex, you can't even eat pudding!" She reminded him. He sighed and rose from the table, a bandage still wrapped around his leg.

"I'm going to go pudding hunting with Spock," he informed them. Ryan coughed.

"Hello, you're allergic to the stuff," he said, restating Claire's words. Alex pulled a hypo-spray canister out of his back pocket and glared at Ryan.

"And you look like a fro-fro dog at a competition, but you still show your face in public," he snapped before wandering over to Spock's table.

"Anna, do I look like a fro-fro dog?" Ryan asked, giving her the saddest look he could muster up. Despite his pathetic look, Anna burst out into laughter.

"Sorry babe, but yeah, you kind of do," she told him, trying to be completely sincere. Her words caused the whole table to burst out laughing.

"Hey Claire, you look like a red headed boy!" Ryan shot back, causing his sister to stop laughing.

"Shut up, Mr. Fro-Fro!" She countered, feeling herself reverting back to her childhood self.

"No way that can be my girlfriend…" Everyone at the table stopped laughing and turned to Jim.

"Hello, Captain," Rupert said, being the first to speak. Jim gave him a nod and looked down at Claire, who was, once again, trying to hide the hair under the hat. Jim simply reached out and pulled it off her head, exposing her new red hair to the world.

"Wow…" Jim said at first. Claire shot him a look, her grey eyes appearing to be stone cold.

"What?" she asked. He was silent for a moment before he burst out laughing, causing Claire to frown. "You're laughing at me?" she snapped.

"I'm sorry babe! It's just, you're… oh my god," he continued to laugh, causing Claire to reach out and smack his shoulder hard.

"Jerk," she snapped. He let out a few more chuckles and bent down, letting his arms wrap around her waist and pull her closer.

"I'm sorry, I was just… surprised," he said, letting out a few more low chuckles. Claire tried to break away from him, but he held her in his grip.

"Jim," she whined. Ryan rolled his eyes and focused on his food before he threw it up. Anna simply rolled her eyes at her boyfriends behavior.

"You look beautiful, and sexy. I can't wait to run my hands through that fire red hair as I heat up the rest of your body," he whispered for just her to hear. A deep blush spread across her face and she awkwardly looked down.

"Don't you have your own friends?" she asked, her voice was flustered, and she seemed as though she were suddenly quite awkward. Jim rolled his eyes and kissed her temple quickly before lightly messing up her new hair.

"I love you," he told her. She sighed and nodded.

"I love you too." Jim smiled and walked away from the table to his own, leaving the group alone.

"See, I told you I wasn't that bad," Anna said. Claire just rolled her eyes and went back to lunch.

* * *

Ryan shot a look at one of his junior lieutenants as they cautiously peered into his office in inspect their bosses new doo. He was trying to ignore them, but it was getting harder and harder. _One more day_, he thought, _one more day_.

"Rough day?" Anna asked as she peered into his office.

"The worst…" He mumbled. Anna nodded knowingly and left the office without another word.

"The next person to peek into Lt. Commander Conaway's office gets to baby-sit Oliver in engineering for a week. Understand?" She snapped. Her voice echoed all the way into Ryan's office, causing him to smile.

"I have the best girlfriend ever," he said to himself with a grin.

* * *

Claire turned her head sideways in the mirror as she surveyed her hair. It had been almost a month and she had just gotten used to having her new hair. Ryan came up next to her and raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing? You invite me over to hang out and then stare at your hair?" he asked. She sighed and turned toward him.

"I'm not used to it… you think it's okay like this?" she asked. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"It's fine, I promise you… come on, I thought we were watching a movie?" he asked. Claire sighed and nodded before making her way to the couch and sitting down next to him. He turned on the TV and they attempted to watch it, though Claire's mind seemed to be somewhere else.

"You alright?" Ryan asked. Claire shrugged, ignoring the very small sting in her shoulder.

"I don't know… I just have this feeling like something going on… something big," she muttered. Ryan furrowed his eyebrows.

"Like what?" he asked. She paused to think it over before shrugging and turning back to the TV.

"I can't remember, must not have been important."

* * *

Griffin glanced over at the ships first officer as they looked over the crew of the _Enterprise. _He knew the man was not quite interested in the preparing portion of the plan, but he could at least pay attention.

"So… who do you think will be the hardest opponent in security?" Tre'gok asked.

"I shall destroy them all, it won't matter," Nuhir snapped. Griffin just rolled his eyes and looked back to the screen. The files suddenly changed to doctors, and he paused on the main three. One he recognized as Claire, and the other he recognized as his old friend. Or at least, they used to be friends.

"Ah yes, the three doctors, I forgot about them," Harry muttered. Griffin looked over his shoulder to his shipmate them back at the screen.

"You know them?" Tre'gok asked.

"I know the faggot," Harry snapped. Griffin shot him a look.

"That was uncalled for," he hissed. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Please, don't tell me you're still defending him, even after he betrayed us and went to the enemy," he snapped. Griffin continued to glare at him before turning back to the screen.

"Would you like us to leave him for last?" Nuhir asked, a evil smile on his lips. Griffin glared at the Romulan before turning back to the screen.

"I don't care what happens to them, to any of them," he snapped.

"Good, then the woman is mine. I have unfinished business to attend to," Nuhir stated. Griffin just grimaced and turned to the next picture. He really didn't give a damn.

* * *

Jim gave a sigh as he read over the message once more before leaning back on his bed. He knew it would be only a matter of time before he got a message demanding he visit, and bring his girlfriend with them. It was understandable; Claire was his first steady girlfriend, even after all the things they had been through. Eventually he would get the message from home, telling him that he was required to bring this young lady to meet the family. The doors opened and he looked up from his data pad to see Claire walking into his- their- room.

"Ugh, I honestly don't know how or why someone would be so stupid as to drink warp core oil. It only means I have to clean up after them afterwards," Claire said. Almost immediately she pulled off her dress, giving him a glimpse at her blue lace underwear. He quickly had to look away from the sight, since they had both agreed they needed to cut back on the sex.

"Well… you know how people can be," he said. She nodded and slipped a tee shirt over her head and un clasped her bra from under the shirt. Soon she slipped off her boots and was putting on a pair of sweat pants.

"I guess I should be used to it," she muttered, sitting on the bed next to him. He nodded and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. After a moment he looked down at her.

"So… what are your plans for shore leave?" he asked. She paused and shrugged.

"Not much, hang out with my friends, my brother. You obviously… and avoid getting drunk," She said. He nodded and pulled her closer to him. She smelled chemical clean, just like sickbay, but her shampoo still stood out against the chemicals. Her body was warm against his, and he felt extremely comfortable.

"Why? What are your plans?" Claire asked. Jim looked down at her and smiled shyly.

"Well… I was wondering if you would go to Iowa with me…" Claire pulled away slightly and raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you going to Iowa?" Claire asked.

"I promised I would visit the family. Sam is back home and my mom said she wants me to visit. Not to mention she really wants to meet you," he said. She froze and kept her grey eyes locked with his blue.

"You… you want me to meet your mom?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Yeah. You'd have to meet her eventually. Will you go with me?" he asked. She paused then nodded.

"Sure, it'd be nice to meet your mom." He smiled and pulled her onto his lap, causing her to smile.

"I'm glad, but I don't want to talk about my mom right now," he whispered, his lips brushing against hers. She smiled and pulled away, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I love you," she whispered. He smiled and kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too…"

* * *

"So Jim and I are going to Iowa during shore leave," Claire told Liam as they began cleaning up sickbay for the day. A goofy small was plastered all over the gay man's face.

"So he's taking you home to meet momma Kirk then?" Liam inquired, the sly smile still spread wide across his face.

"I suppose. It was bound to happen eventually, especially since he's already met my parents…" Claire trailed off, remembering their meeting not too long ago. Liam shrugged.

"Yeah, that was a lot of fun. But your parents hate everyone you and Ryan date, unless you're dating someone rich or famous. I doubt meeting Jim's family will be nearly as bad as meeting your parents," Liam said, trying to reassure the nervous butterflies in her stomach.

"I really hope so," Claire said, letting her mind wonder to the possible outcomes. A few made her smile, while others made her cringe. Liam moved to the sink and began washing his hands.

"Calm down, Claire. What's the worst thing that could happen?"

"I don't know, what if she thinks I'm a whore or something?" Claire asked.

"Well… you are a whore, that's not the point. Maybe she's a whore too!" Liam said. Claire's eyes went wide and she lightly smacked him.

"Liam Joseph Peterson! I cannot believe you just said that!" she snapped.

"Claire Adrienne-" She put a hand over his mouth as her eyes turned cold.

"Who told you my middle name?" she asked, her eyes narrow.

"Your dog," he answered through her hand. A confused look crossed her face before she remembered the incident a few weeks ago.

"Oh… he would… wouldn't he," she muttered. She took he hand away and began working on charts.

"He can't keep his mouth shut. It's a good thing he's not a human anymore." Claire nodded and gave a small sigh of relief, thankfully her dog had returned to normal, and it was if nothing ever happened. Though, she did notice that he didn't bark at Jim as much. After a minute, she turned back to Liam, who began going through the computer.

"Liam… you think she'll like me? I mean… McCoy already told me that Jim places his mother on a pedestal, what if she doesn't like me?" Claire asked, running a hand through her now shoulder length blonde hair.

"Claire, you're going to be fine… if she doesn't like you, she doesn't like you. I seriously doubt she's not going to like you. And, when did you have time to talk to McCoy about this?" Liam asked.

"Oh, Ensign Jones needed a appendectomy and McCoy was assisting me. I mentioned it and we just got talking." Liam nodded and shrugged.

"Don't worry about it, just breathe and take a chill pill. God… you're annoying when you're worried." Claire glared at him.

"Shut up, Liam."

* * *

Anna gave a small sigh as she went through her e-mail. Work was slow, and she had nothing better to do. She went to go through her paper work when something popped up on her screen, causing her to jump.

_"Hola princesa,_" a voice said. A large smile came to Anna's face as she saw the familiar face of her father.

_"Hola papi,_" She replied. He smiled widely and leaned toward the screen.

"How have you been?" he asked.

"I'm good, busy, but good. And you? How are the boys?" she asked.

"Fine, fine… you know how work on the ranch is," he said. She nodded, a small smile on her face.

"Yes, I know… I'm coming home within the next week or so, I'll be sure to stop by and visit for a few days," she told him.

"Good, good… everyone will be happy to see you," he said to her with a smile not so different from her own.

"So any reason you're calling in the middle of the week? You normally wait until Sunday to call," Anna said, double-checking the calendar on the side of her computer screen. It was then her father's smile disappeared and was replaced with a troubled look.

"We need to talk. It's about Horatio… and you…"

* * *

"LIAM!" Liam shot up in his bed to see the worried faces of Ryan and Rupert looking down at him. Ryan wore nothing more than a pair of boxers and a sleeve-less shirt while Rupert was adorn in green striped pajamas.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" He asked, pulling his bed sheet closer to his body. He had nothing to hide, he was wearing a t-shirt and an old pair of Alex's basketball shorts, but he was so startled to see the two men in his room.

"We heard you screaming from my room," Ryan explained, we obviously meaning his girlfriend and not Rupert. The mental image of Ryan and Rupert cuddling in bed briefly crossed his mind, but he shook his head to rid himself of the thought. He'd save that for a dirty fantasy later.

"I was getting a cup of tea when I ran into Ryan. What were you dreaming about?" Rupert inquired, his tea cup still in his hands. Liam blinked, trying to remember the details of his dream.

"I have no idea…" he trailed off, still racking his brain for any hints to the contents of his dream.

"None? Dude, you were screaming bloody murder. I'm surprised you didn't wake yourself up," Ryan stated, crouching down to be eyelevel with Liam. Liam sighed.

"I don't remember a thing." Both men exchanged looks and glanced back at Liam.

"Uh… maybe you should get that checked out. McCoy might have something for you," Ryan said.

"No… no, I should be fine. I just… I need to take a deep breath," Liam assured them. Ryan nodded and Rupert gave him a nod.

"Alright, well… as lovely as this is, I'd rather not be caught in a gay mans room with nothing but my pajamas. No offense, but Randy would never let me hear the end of it," Rupert said.

"I understand, go back to what you guys were doing," Liam told them.

"Okay… night Liam," Ryan said, following Rupert out of the mans room.

"Night."

* * *

"So I'm not going to see my own baby sister at all during shore leave?" Ryan asked. Claire rolled her eyes and hoisted the duffel bag onto her shoulder.

"I see you everyday on this ship. Not to mention, you'll be hanging out with your lovely girlfriend all break," she reminded him.

"I know, but it would nice to go out and hang with my sister every now and then," he told her. She chuckled and nudged him.

"You would get sick of me," she chuckled.

"I've lasted close to twenty-four years, haven't I?" Claire shrugged as Ryan draped an arm over her shoulder.

"I guess so… I'll call you. I'm sure they have computers in Iowa," she assured him. He sighed and looked down at her.

"Be careful, alright? Don't come back married, or pregnant." Claire laughed and stopped walking and turned toward him.

"I'll be fine. Have fun with your girl, but spare me the details." He laughed and pulled her into a hug.

"I love you, call me when you get the chance," he told her. She nodded and kissed his cheek.

"Have fun, don't get too drunk!" she warned. He ruffled her short hair and smiled.

"Have fun with the parents." Claire didn't have a chance to reply as he walked off and left her alone in the shuttle bay. She gave a small huff before turning around and heading toward the shuttle that Jim had suggested.

"Claire! There you are," she heard him say. She smiled and turned around, smiling as her boyfriend engulfed her into a hug.

"Hey, I was just saying goodbye to Ryan." He nodded and wrapped and arm around her waist and walked with her to the shuttle.

"I know, I figured I'd wait till you said goodbye to come in," he told her.

"How thoughtful of you. Though, you sure you weren't just avoiding my brother?" she asked. He turned a very light pink and shrugged.

"Well… he's a scary," he defended. Claire chuckled and kissed his cheek.

"I love you, but you need to grow a pair," she told him. He rolled his eyes and guided her to the shuttle.

"Yeah, yeah, just get on the shuttle, I'll show you tonight my pair," he whispered in her ear. She blushed but got onto the shuttle.

"So… what's your mothers last name?" she asked.

"Kirk-Sanders. She refused to loose the Kirk, so she added Carl's name at the end," he told her. She nodded and sat in her seat. Jim sat next to her and draped and arm around her shoulders and yawned.

"Tired babe?" she asked. He shrugged and leaned against the chair.

"Mmm… wake me up when we get to Iowa." Claire nodded and pulled out her data pad.

"Okay."

* * *

"You cannot be serious," Claire said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I am serious, isn't it awesome?" Claire looked over the bike and put a hand over her mouth, as if that would stop her from saying anything.

"Jim, I love you… I really do… but this… can you even drive a motorcycle?" she asked. He rolled his eyes and walked up to her, a small smile on his face.

"Yes I can drive a motorcycle, I told you I used to," he said. She frowned and gripped her duffel bag. She was glad it was pretty small, since they only planned to spend a couple days.

"I know but… can you still drive one? It's been a while…" she said.

"Of course I can, don't worry so much. Let's go, my mom will be waiting," he said. She sighed and still eyeing the bike warily.

"What if I fall off?" she asked. He pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh.

"You won't fall off, I promise," he said.

"Liar. You're in the front, how will you know?" she asked.

"I'll know."

"Can't we just get a car?"

"Claire…"

"That thing can't possibly hold both of us and our bags."

"It will."

"I mean, what if you make a sharp turn and I fall off?"

"You won't fall."

"What if the wind blows me away?"

"The wind won't blow you away."

"You don't know that, I'm pretty light. I'll be like paper and float away." Jim sighed and took her hand, dragging her to the bike.

"Claire, come on. If you get on the bike, I'll give you a shiny gift," he said. She raised an eyebrow.

"Are you bribing me?" She asked. He shrugged.

"Is it working?" She shot him a look.

"I still don't want to get on the bike," she said. He sighed and practically dragged her on the bike.

"This is the only way we're getting there, whether you like it or not," he said. She gave a small pout and begrudgingly sat behind him. He found a way to strap their bags to the back, and handed her a helmet. After a minute of staring at it, she slipped it on and waited for him to get situated. Once he had his helmet on, he turned toward her and smiled.

"Ready?" he asked. She leaned forward and pressed herself against his back, grasping tightly onto his leather jacket.

"No, but let's go anyway," she muttered. He laughed and started up the bike, causing her to jump. He laughed once more and they took off down the road. Jim couldn't help but enjoy the way her arms tightened around him, and she way she practically buried her face in his back. The warm wind hit them at a rapid pace.

Claire suddenly wished she had worn a jacket, since she was only in a tee-shirt and jeans. Her arms could feel the warmth of the sun, mixed with the cool of the wind. A part of her was excited, the thrill of the two of them rushing through the wind. A larger part of her, was very afraid. She knew it was stupid, she had been in far worse situations, but for some reason, the thought of speeding at 80 mph scared the crap out of her. She was sure to keep her eyes closed shut the entire time.

After what felt like forever, she felt Jim slow down, and came to a stop. She slowly opened her eyes and was met with a large field, filled with some plant life. She felt Jim shift in front of her, and pulled away from him, taking a moment to get used to being stable. Jim chuckled lightly and got off the bike, taking off his helmet and running a hand through his perfect dirty blonde hair. Claire gave him a look as she took her own helmet off and sighed at how messy her hair was.

"Have fun?" he asked, his Kirk-smirk taunting her. She rolled her eyes and slid so she was sitting sideways on the bike.

"No, I have helmet hair," she muttered. Jim moved forward and ruffled her hair a bit more, causing her to give a small groan of protest. "Jim!"

"I like this look. It looks like rough sex hair," he said. Claire turned red and smacked his shoulder and stood up. Jim refused to move back, so they were only inches away from each other. Claire simply tried to smooth her hair out, and sighed.

"Great, now I look like I got down and dirty before coming here," she mumbled. Jim laughed and moved forward to capture her lips with his. Right before they touched, the front door opened, and the both of them heard someone walk out.

"James Tiberius Kirk!" Jim practically jumped back and turned toward the house. Claire also did and took notice of the house. It looked like and old country house, a big front porch and wide. It looked to have two stories, with an attic, and the front was lined with flowers. A woman was making her way toward them, her slightly graying blonde hair pulled back into a bun. Her face was lined with a few wrinkles, but overall, she was quite pretty. She wore a pair of kaki pants and a white blouse. It was quite conservative, but flattered her all the same.

"Hi mom," Jim said, moving away from Claire and walking up to his mother. He had to bend over slightly to wrap her into a hug. He woman chuckled lightly and pulled back, placing a hand on his cheek.

"Jim… gosh you've gotten so handsome. You being careful on that ship?" she asked.

"As careful as I can be, you know how it is." The woman's face suddenly fell, but she looked past him and her pale blue eyes locked with Claire's stony grey.

"Who is this?" she asked. Jim walked away from her and took a hold of Claire's hand, pulling her toward the older woman.

"Mom, this is Claire Conaway, my girlfriend." Claire smiled and stuck her hand out.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Kirk…"

"It's Winona, dear. Jim has told me a lot about you," she said. Claire turned a little red but smiled.

"Really, nothing bad I hope," Claire said, looking at Jim. Jim shrugged and draped an arm over her shoulders.

"Always the best," Jim said. Winona smiled and took Claire's hand, dragging her out of Jim's grasp and toward the house.

"Come, we'll sit and talk. Jimmy, go get your bags, you know where your old room is. Claire's is the one across from yours," Winona said.

"We're not sharing a room?" Jim asked, pouting slightly.

"Of course not! What you do on the ship is your own business, but here is a different story." Jim rolled his eyes, and Winona continued to drag her into the house. Upon entering the front door, she found herself standing in a foyer. On her left, she saw what looked to be a dinning room, on the right, a living room with the centerpiece being a fireplace.

"Your house is beautiful," she muttered. Winona smiled.

"I'm glad you like it. I saw it and couldn't stop myself from getting it." Claire smiled and felt Winona push her into the living room. Claire noticed that all the furniture was bit older, but seemed to suit the house just fine.

"Her, sit… I'll get you something to drink. Would you like some lemonade, iced tea, a soda? I think I have some coffee as well," Winona said.

"Coffee would be lovely," Claire said. Winona gave her a peculiar look, but nodded and went to the dinning room, then what she assumed to be the kitchen. Claire was left alone to study the living room. The colors were bright, made to accent the amount of light in the room, and almost every surface was filled with pictures. A few of them of people she didn't know, a good amount of two boys, one she knew as Jim, the other she had yet to meet. There was a handful of pictures of Winona and her new husband, and one of George Kirk.

Claire stood up and got a better look at the picture. She had heard so much about him from the past, and a bit from Jim, but she had never seen him. By far, he was handsome. His features seemed a little harsher than Jim's, but his blue eyes seemed to cut through the glass of the frame, and she felt a sense of familiarity in her heart. Jim had definitely gotten his eyes from his father, something she was grateful for.

"Hey." Claire jumped a bit and turned around.

"Jim, don't scare me like that," she scolded lightly.

"Why? Snooping?" he asked, chuckling lightly. Claire rolled her eyes and turned back to the picture. Jim simply wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

"You look a lot like him," Claire said. Jim was silent, but his thumb lightly caressed her own hand.

"Hmm… I'm surprised she still has this picture," he said softly.

"Of course I have it. Now, come Claire… I've brought you your coffee," Winona said. Claire turned bright red and pulled away from Jim.

"Thank you," Claire said, taking the cup from Winona.

"Of course, now, sit! Make yourself comfortable. Jim, why don't you go check the barn, give us women some alone time," Winona said. Jim rolled his eyes.

"I know when I'm not wanted." He walked over and placed a kiss on Claire's forehead. "Have fun," he whispered.

"Of course," Claire replied. Jim then walked over and gave his mother a kiss on her cheek.

"Be nice," he muttered. Winona simply smacked his arm lightly and took a sip of her own cup of coffee. Claire took a large sip, her mouth already used to the burning sensation of the liquid. Jim was soon out of the room and Claire looked down at her cup. She was more than intimidated by his mothers presence. According to Dr. McCoy, Jim held his mother in high regard. Despite the fact she was often off planet when he was a child, she was an excellent mother, Jim cherished her dearly.

"So, you are a member of Starfleet?" Winona asked. Claire nodded.

"Yes, Ma'am," Claire said.

"You can cal me Winona, dear…" Claire pressed her lips together.

"I'm sorry, I'm just… not used to being so informal with…"

"Strangers," Winona finished. Claire didn't say anything as she took another sip of her coffee. "I was the same way with George's mother. I didn't even meet her until I was engaged." Claire noticed that her eyes strayed down to her ring finger, where she found no ring.

"I'm sorry. I just… I'm nervous," Claire said. Winona chuckled.

"No need to be, my dear. Jim has told me so much about you, I guess I am just excited to see the woman my son has fallen so hard for," she said quietly. Claire turned red and let her fingers trace over her coffee cup. After a minute she looked back up and smiled shyly at the woman.

"Jim's a great guy. I'm very lucky to have him," Claire said. Winona smiled.

"Yes, he is. Though, that's not usually the sort of things I hear from his women friends," Winona admitted. Claire chuckled and nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. After a minute, Winona spoke once more. "I'm glad Jim found you, you look like you might be the type of girl to reel him in a bit."

"What do you mean?" Claire asked.

"I'm sorry dear, that sounded wrong. Jim can be a little… impulsive. My husband thinks that he needs a strong woman to actually tell him no," Winona said. Claire shrugged.

"I don't know about that," Claire said softly. Winona just watched her as Claire looked into the coffee cup. "I mean… I love Jim. I love everything about him. Yeah, he is impulsive, but sometimes that's the not really all that bad. His whole 'leap before you look' is what has made him the wonderful captain that he is. He's cut back on the partying, and has stopped picking up random chicks, but I think that's just part of him getting older. Honestly ma'am, I don't want to change a thing about him, good or bad."

Winona was silent for a moment, before a smile came to her lips.

"I'm glad…" Claire blushed a deep red and took a large gulp of her coffee.

"So, you are a member of Starfleet. What is you're rank?" she asked.

"Lieutenant," Claire answered.

"What field?" Winona inquired.

"I'm a doctor, a surgeon actually." Winona smiled and put her cup on the table.

"A doctor, so you're not just a pretty face. I didn't think that they still had surgeons, on starships," Winona told her.

"Most medicines take away the need for surgery, there are a few exceptions. Sometimes the person doesn't have enough time to let the medicine work, or their body rejects it. That's where I come in," Claire explained. Winona smiled, but before she could speak, Jim walked back in.

"Hey, when did you get the new horse?" he asked, sitting down next to Claire and draping an arm around her shoulders.

"Not too long ago. Carl found the poor thing in an abandoned barn," Winona said. Jim nodded and pulled Claire closer to him, as if by instinct.

"Sounds horrible," he muttered. There was a long pause before the front door opened and a man walked in.

"Winona, whose bike is in front of the house?" a voice asked. Winona stood up, and walked into the foyer. Jim stood up, and Claire followed his example.

"Damn…" Jim muttered.

"What is it?" Claire asked. He didn't answer at first, only pressed his lips together.

"Carl…" he answered. Claire looked toward the door as an older man walked into the house and looked over.

"Ah… Jim," he said. Though there was no insult in his voice, his tone spoke for itself. He was clearly not happy that Jim was here.

"I'll be back, I see you have groceries in the car," Winona said, walking out the door. The moment they did, Carl turned toward Jim, his eyes cold.

"So, your ass is back, you brought a whore along too… just great. Just don't fuck in my house," Carl said, walking into the kitchen. Claire was stunned into silence as she looked at Jim, who was clenching his fists and closing his eyes. Claire turned back to the foyer and sighed. This was going to be an interesting trip.

* * *

"I hope Claire's trip to meet Jim's family is going well," Ryan stated as he and Anna entered their temporary room for shore leave. Anna sighed.

"For like the seventh time, she's probably having a great time. Let's stop worrying about your sister and start worrying about us. _Hombre estúpido, a veces me siento como si estuviera nada en comparación con Claire…"_ Anna snapped, dropping her bags on the beds. After all the time they'd been spending together, Ryan was starting to pick up a little bit of Spanish. Most of the time, it was because she was yelling at him, but there were a few rare occasions that it wasn't.

"Hey, don't be like that. Besides, we don't have anything to worry about, right?" Anna bit her lip at her boyfriend's comment, but forced a small smile.

"Oh course not. I was just trying to make a point…" She said in a soft voice, debating whether or not she should come clean. With a reluctant sigh, she opted not to say anything. They still had all of shore leave and she wanted to spend all the time she had with him without any worries. Ryan could see the conflict on Anna's face, but he said nothing. If she wanted to tell him something, he would just have to wait until she was ready. Though hopefully she wasn't going to pull a Colleen and just not tell him at all while living a lie with your boyfriend's best friend's baby.

"No worries. Now let's enjoy our little vacation," Ryan suggested, placing a hand on her shoulder and pulling her close into a hug. Anna smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth and security that being in Ryan's arms provided.

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Liam walked into sickbay as he tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. In total, he only slept for about three hours. Between the nightmares and just not being able to fall asleep, Liam was exhausted. As he dragged his tired feet into McCoy's office, McCoy lifted his head up off his desk and glared at Liam with bloodshot red eyes.

"What?" He snapped, picking up his empty bottle of whiskey and throwing it into the corner. Of course, just when he needed a drink the most, the alcohol was gone.

"You look like shit. Are you hung-over?" Liam asked as he raised his eyebrow. McCoy scoffed.

"That I am. What's your excuse?" He snapped back. Liam folded his arms.

"The reason I came in to see you, actually. I could not sleep at all last night," he explained. McCoy began to rub his temples as he continued to glared at his doctor.

"You had a bad night's sleep. What do you want from me?" He snapped. Liam furrowed his eyebrows.

"You're a mean drunk, you know that? Jeez… see if I ever come for your help again," Liam retorted and turned to leave. McCoy rested his head back down on his desk.

"Like I was going to help you anyway…"

* * *

"So, what would you like for dinner, dear?" Winona asked. Claire shrugged and took a sip of her water as she glanced out the window.

"It doesn't matter. I'll eat whatever you make," she replied. Winona sighed and walked up to the window, where they saw Jim and Carl arguing. With a shake of her head, Winona looked to the younger woman.

"They haven't gotten along in years… they think I don't know that they argue… but I know. They aren't exactly quiet about it." Claire shot the woman a sympathetic look.

"Jim really isn't quiet about anything, I see he doesn't get that from you though," Claire pointed out. Winona chuckled and moved her away from the window and to the sink.

"Here, how about some pasta, would that be good?" she asked. Claire gave a nod and glanced out the window once more.

"Maybe we should leave, I don't want us to cause trouble," she said. Winona shook her head and handed her some vegetables to cut for a salad.

"It's a normal thing around here, just be thankful Sam isn't here. Then the fight would really start." she told her. Before Claire could ask who Sam was, the front door opened and someone walked through the kitchen. He was fairly tall, around 6'2", and he was a bit buff. His blonde hair matched his mothers, but his blue eyes were very similar to Jim's.

"Hey, I'm home. Who brought the bike?" the man asked. Winona put down the pot she was holding and walked over to him. She pulled him into a hug and kissed his cheek

"Hello, honey. Where were you?" she asked.

"Stopped at a bar last night, woke up in some woman's house. It's all good though," he told her. He then looked up and his eyes met Claire's, and she almost jumped at how similar they were to Jim's. However, they seemed to have a different glint in them that Jim's did.

"Hello," he said, a slick smile on his lips.

"Hi…" Claire replied.

"Sam, this is Claire, Jim's girlfriend," Winona said, introducing them. Claire held out her hand, but Sam walked forward with his arms open and pulled her into a hug.

"Jim's got a girlfriend, wow. That pretty much makes you family," he told her with a chuckle. Claire felt her cheeks turn red as Winona lightly slapped her son.

"Go pull Jim and Carl off each other. I want tonight to be a nice family dinner," she order. Sam nodded and released Claire.

"Mom, that's not going to happen with this family," he told her before exiting the kitchen and heading outside to where the other two men were fighting.

"Do you expect him to break them up?" Claire asked, watching Sam approach them from out a window. Winona shrugged and turned back to the pasta she was preparing.

"No, but it gets him out of the kitchen. Jim isn't a bad cook at all, but his brother is like a fire in the middle of a forest when he's in the kitchen," she explained. Claire giggled as she turned her focus back to chopping up vegetables for the salad.

_

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Shall we review? I think we shall.

**_SWfangirl21_  
**_**Jeck: **__It's all good. I'm just happy to hear from you again! We love getting your reviews! :3 See, we kept telling you guys to be patient! We wouldn't do that to our Claire and Jim lovers. Besides, we wanted them back together too. We kept throwing in McCoy's soft side every once in awhile. People have issues with what a hardass we make him, but he's like that for a reason. I'm really glad you like Anna and Ryan as much as we do. Honestly, we were kind of worried people actually would miss Ryan and Colleen. lol Yeah, I felt pretty bad for Alex too. We kind of wanted him to earn some respect back from people, but seeing as you read our side story, you know why Liam has such a problem taking him back. If you love Rocky, then you probably really loved this chapter. We had a great time writing this one too. THANKS FOR THE LOVE! :3  
__**Raxsah: **__Don't worry, people get busy. We do appreciate your reviews, they make us happy. I do like the way we brought them together in this chapter. It is very nice, if I might say. Now that you mention it, there is a lot of talk of people being pregnant. Do I detect foreshadowing? Hmm. Sucks Cow Nipples is a new one. I have to remember that. Rocky is adorable. He's a mixture of my dog and Jeck's dog. Together, we have made the awesomeness which is Rocky. Lol, he reminds me of my dog Zoe, and she is awesome. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter, can't wait to read your next review._

_**chaoticmom  
**__**Raxsah: **__I'd just like to say that A. This is the alternate timeline, and we took advantage of that. B. This is before the five year mission, so I figured it would be okay for McCoy to be OOC, since we're not following the series plot. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Sorry about that. We know he is not in character, but at this point, we can't do much about it. Also, you're seeing Bones through Claire's eyes most of the time, and she is a spoiled rich city girl, who is not used to someone being so tough on her, not even her brother. We tried to explain that in the last chapter, but I guess it didn't go over so well.  
__**Jeck: **__We can't really do requests at this point, since the story is already written. And we'll try to comb through the story more thoroughly to catch all the errors. A lot of people say we've made Bones a huge grouch, but he really kind of was in the movie. We're basing the story off of the movie and not the actual series. And we really needed a character to be that hardass kind of person. Bones was the most likely and therefore became Mr. Hardass the Grouch. _

_**(For some reason, the name of the next reviewer did not show up. But we shall answer regardless.)  
**__**Jeck: **__Just putting this out there, I'm not a psych major. I'm an English/English Education major. I just have to take general psych. AND SPANK YOU VERY UCH MAY! :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, I think it's required that freshman take psych. I actually like my psych class. It is very nice._

_**amberhathaway  
**__**Raxsah: **__Welcome back! Sorry about the length, we're trying to finish the story, and I think we're on track. We're almost done! I'd say two more chapters and we're in sight of the end… maybe? Hmm.  
__**Jeck: **__Oh look! A familiar face! Yeah, we tried to make them longer since we have a longer separation period in which we post. Glad to have you back up to speed with us. :3_

_**Raxsah: **__Well, now that we're back on track, we're probably going to have to go back to doing homework. Ugh, homework.  
__**Jeck: **__Blah… but before we get off track, we'd just like to say thank you to SWfangirl21 and Hse Hissie for reviewing our side story, If You Only Knew. Haven't read it? Check it out. Do you enjoy our shameless promoting?  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, we are very good at doing that. But seriously, you should. Helps you understand Liam's POV, especially with the whole cheating thing.  
__**Jeck: **__Last chapter will make shit tons more sense after reading it. And while you're at it, check out our newest poll too. More shameless promoting? Yes. I'm gonna go change my socks… RANDOM! :3  
__**Raxsah: **__I'll give you random. The back of my car is full of dog hair. Oh, and I got my license, and have been doing nothing but chauffeuring everyone around since. Like seriously, my car is not big enough to fit six people. No matter how hard we try. I'm pretty sure Lexie was bigger than S.A.M.V.  
__**Jeck: **__Lexi was the shit! I miss my Lexi… some random man who doesn't even live near us bought my car and I'm sad… we had some good times in that piece of shit! At least you still have your multi-colored car! Lol  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, my multi-colored piece of shit. Oh well, it get's me from one place to another.  
__**Jeck: **__Indeed. Perhaps it can get you from home to Bumblefuck. Lol  
__**Raxsah: **__It could. But I have to wait for Band season to be over for David. And I apparently need someone to go with me. O.o  
__**Jeck: **__Awwww…  
__**Raxsah: **__I know… anyway. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, hopefully we'll be around next week for the new one… hopefully. That seems to be the key word in every chapter.  
__**Jeck: **__Until next week!_


	23. If I Die Tomorrow

_**Jeck: **__We return once again!  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, after a long week, we are back. Anyone else feel totally drained?  
__**Jeck: **__Yes… completely, totally, and utterly.  
__**Raxsah: **__College is killing us! We need a vacation from school. I haven't had a mental health day in like… ever.  
__**Jeck: **__You can have a mental health day. I just need a health day. Or like, a health week. Perhaps a month? Pffft, I just want to come home.  
__**Raxsah: **__Hmm, Well, enough bitching, we have a story to post. And I'm sure our readers don't need our negative Juju coming out of their computer screens.  
__**Jeck: **__Right, right. Although, I'm pretty sure half the reason that some of these people keep coming back is to see our rants. We're just that awesome.  
__**Raxsah: **__Hell yeah we're awesome. We're so cool, we make ice cubes jealous!  
__**Jeck: **__Hmmmm… dirty thoughts involving ice cubes… :3  
__**Raxsah: **__I'm not even going to go there. Anyway, we have a small warning label on this chapter, due to the Lemon. Also thanks to everyone sticking with us through these long updates. We is very busy.  
__**Jeck: **__And we apologize in advance for the cliffhanger! :3 … you know, I love how my dirty ice cube thoughts brought on the lemon warning. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes well… I actually don't have a reply to that. I heard dirty and thought of sex, which made me think of the lemon. Thought process there. Hahahahaaa  
__**Jeck: **__I wish my thought processes made half as much sense as that. Anyway, here's the next chapter. ENJOY!_

**

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Chapter 23: If I Die Tomorrow

* * *

"Is he okay?" Alex asked Rupert from his spot next to Oliver at the dinner table. Rupert shrugged.

"I suppose so. I mean, the nightmare seemed pretty intense, but we all have nightmares from time to time," Rupert explained, pushing his empty tray away and picking up his steaming cup of tea. Oliver giggled from his place next to Alex.

"I had a nightmare last night that Mr. Ruffles with pregnant with my child!" He squealed. Rupert and Alex exchanged glances.

"Um, isn't Mr. Ruffles a boy?" Alex asked. Oliver giggled even harder and looked at the two men.

"That's why it was a nightmare, sillies. Besides, Mr. Ruffles can't have babies," Oliver explained. Rupert placed his cup of tea back down on the table and placed his face in his hands.

"This is supposed to be my vacation and I'm still baby-sitting," he mumbled to himself.

"Back to Liam…" Before Rupert could respond to Alex, none other than Liam stepped into the cafeteria.

"Liam is here," he said as he approached the table, catching Alex's last words.

"Good to see you, buddy. How are you doing? Feeling good today?" Alex asked. Liam glanced at Rupert.

"You told him about the nightmares?" Alex crossed his arms as Liam took a seat next to Rupert.

"Why wouldn't he? I'm your friend and I deserve to know too," Alex defended. Liam sighed.

"It's really not a big deal, guys. It was just a nightmare. I went to see McCoy and he told me everything is fine," he explained. Rupert nodded and turned back to his tea, but Alex wasn't convinced.

"You're lying," he stated, pointing an accusing finger at his former lover. Liam raised an eyebrow.

"No, I'm not. Why would you say that?" Liam asked.

"Because, you blink a lot when you lie," Alex reminded him. Everyone turned to look at Liam, even Oliver who normally couldn't care less.

"Mr. Ruffles can cook you up a sleeping pie if you want," Oliver offered. Liam scratched the back of his head and gave him a sheepish grin.

"Thanks Oliver, but I'm fine. McCoy's just kind of a wreck today and he didn't really check me out. But it was just one stupid nightmare, so I don't know why everyone is making a fuss," Liam replied, his tone getting kind of snappy towards the end. Alex shrugged.

"Maybe because people care about you," he countered. Liam stood up from the table.

"I appreciate it, but I'm fine. I'll see you guys later," he snapped as he left the table. Alex sighed.

"Sorry for caring, asshole."

* * *

Ryan took a glance at his girlfriend as they ran in step. He was a little surprised that she was hesitant to run, since she was usually the first to suggest working out. He brushed it off and continued to run, making sure he kept his breath even. Anna, however, was having a harder time than she used to. The past month or so she had noticed it had been harder and harder to work out, and couldn't quite catch her breath. She suddenly began to feel light headed and slowed down, causing Ryan to stop.

"Anna, you alright?" he asked. She attempted to take a deep breath and nodded.

"Yeah… just… I'm just… tired," she wheezed. Ryan's eyebrows furrowed in concern and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Babe…" she shook her head and stood up, still wheezing.

"I'm fine. I just need to breathe," she told him. Ryan led her to a bench and they both sat down. He had finally regained his breath and was now focused on her.

"Anna, you're not fine. What's going on?" he asked. She shook her head and put her hand over her heart. This couldn't be happening. He dad said there was only a small chance that this would happen to her, she never thought it actually would.

"I'm fine, Ryan. Just really tired, work has been stressing me out," she said. Ryan didn't look convinced and gently rubbed her back.

"Okay…" She took a couple deep breaths and her wheezing began to calm down. After a little bit her breathing had calmed down a little bit she stood up and Ryan followed her.

"Alright, we should head back to the room," she suggested. Ryan looked down at her and nodded, giving a small smile.

"Anna, you know you can tell me anything… right?" he asked. She paused then nodded.

"I know, I know… I'm fine… really Ryan," she assured him. He nodded and kissed her quickly.

"I love you," he told her. She smiled and kissed him once more.

"I love you too, race you to the room!"

* * *

"Do you need some help setting the table?" Claire asked as she pulled the garlic bread out of the oven. Winona shook her head.

"That's why I keep the men around. Jim? Carl? Sam?" After a few minutes, Jim entered the kitchen.

"What's up, mom?" He asked. Winona pointed to the dishes and Jim nodded. Without a word, he gathered plates, silverware, and napkins all for five. Once he was in the dining room, Claire turned to Winona.

"You've got him trained pretty well, don't you?" Winona chuckled as she stirred the pasta sauce, waiting for the noodles to cook.

"It wasn't easy, but he's a good kid," she simply said. Claire nodded as Jim came back in the room.

"I hope you're talking about me," he said with a smile. Winona said nothing and handed him the salad that Claire had spent so much time to prepare earlier.

"Let's see how nice the table looks in about five minutes and then we'll talk," she said. Claire said nothing as she watched the family display before her. Silently, she wished that Ryan and her could have had something similar to what Jim had. Obviously, Carl wasn't the nicest step-dad, but at least they actually sat down at the table for dinner. Normally, her and Ryan would just eat their dinner wherever they wanted to, except for the nights that they didn't even eat at home at all. Ryan was most definitely the greatest brother ever, but even he couldn't make up for the lack of parents that they had.

"Are you okay, Claire?" Claire looked up to see Winona and Jim giving her concerned looks.

"Yeah, I'm great. Dinner ready?" She asked, covering up her deep thoughts with a smile.

"Almost, why don't you take the wine out to the table," Winona suggested. Claire nodded and grabbed the bottle of white wine and walked into the dinning room. She placed the bottle on the table and smiled at her boyfriend, who just walked into the room to bring out a couple of glasses.

"Hey, I feel like I haven't seen you in hours," Jim said, walking up to her and wrapping his arms around her waist. She turned a little red, realizing they were in his parents house.

"You haven't, you've been busy with… family stuff," she muttered. He sighed and kissed her neck and turned her around.

"I know, I'm sorry. At least you got to meet my mom," he pointed out. She nodded and pulled him into a hug.

"It's alright. Believe me, I know how dysfunctional families can be," she confessed. He nodded and raised a hand to her cheek and smiled lightly.

"I love you," he whispered. She smiled and her grey eyes met his bright blue.

"I love you too," she replied. He leaned down and pressed his lips light onto hers, savoring the feeling. Just as he was about the deepen the kiss, someone walked into the room and gave a cat call. Claire immediately pulled away and looked over. Sam simply chuckled and walked into the room a little more.

"Don't stop on my account, I'm sure it's been… what, three hours since you two have fucked?" he asked. Claire turned bright red and ran a hand through her hair.

"Jesus, Sam… go away," Jim snapped. Sam rolled his eyes and looked over at Claire, who was still thoroughly embarrassed. He didn't even hide the fact that he was currently checking her out. Jim clenched his fists and took a small step toward Claire, as if to show his brother that she was his.

"Hmm, obviously I'm not welcome… I should see if mom needs something," Sam said, walking past the two of them and chuckling lightly. Claire raised an eyebrow and turned toward Jim when he left.

"What was that about?" she asked. Jim sighed and shook his head.

"Back before I joined Starfleet, we would… share girlfriends." Claire raised an eyebrow.

"Share? As in…" she trailed off and he nodded. "Ah…"

"That was a long time ago… it's different now," he assured her. She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Better be," she replied.

* * *

"Can I get you anything else?" Ryan asked. Anna sighed.

"No. And I'm not happy that you've been fetching things for me for the past hour. I told you that I'm fine," she snapped. Ryan nodded.

"Sorry, I'm just worried," he explained, taking a seat next to her on their bed. Anna sighed and closed her eyes, resting her head on his shoulders.

"Please don't worry about me," she asked him, almost pleading with him. His behavior was kind of annoying, but it was just how Ryan was. He just wanted to care for her and protect her. But there wasn't anything that he could do to protect her from this. And perhaps it was better for him not to know. As if reading her thoughts, Ryan turned her face so that he could look at her tired brown eyes.

"Asking me to not worry about you is like asking me not to breathe. You and Claire are my everything. And I'm sorry that sometimes it seems like I care more about her, but I don't mean to. She's just my baby sister. And you're… you're my girlfriend who I know could hold her own in any fight and could keep a level head in any situation. But something is bugging you and no matter what it is, I want to know. Perhaps I can't help, but at least I can support you through whatever it is," Ryan babbled, pausing at the end to take a deep breath. For a moment, neither of them said anything. Anna didn't even move from her spot on the bed, his words barely sinking in. After a few minutes, Ryan pulled her closer. "I mean it, babe. It's going to be okay."

"No, it's not," she replied without thinking. Ryan gave her a puzzled look as a few stray tears fell down her face.

"You can tell me, Anna," he whispered to her, gently pressing his lips to her scalp. She sighed and pulled away from Ryan's embrace to look him in his concerned grey eyes. She had to tell him.

* * *

"LIAM!" Liam slowly opened his eyes to see Oliver's bright green eyes starring down at him.

"Oliver, what the hell are you doing in my room!" Liam shouted, scooting over to the opposite side of the bed. Oliver choose not to follow him, but instead smiled wider.

"Mr. Ruffles and I could hear you screaming from our room. Did you have another nightmare?" He inquired. Slowly, Liam nodded.

"Yeah, I did…" Oliver shrugged.

"What was it about? Maybe if you talk about it, the nightmares will stop. That's what Mr. Ruffles thinks," Oliver suggested. Liam just shook his head.

"I'm fine, really. You and Mr. Ruffles should head back to sleep in your own room," Liam offered. Oliver shrugged.

"We could, unless you want us to stay. We're good sleepover buddies," Oliver declared with a grin as Liam forced a smile.

"I'm sure you are, but I think I'm good. Thanks anyway." Oliver nodded and left the room. Once he got to the door, he turned to his right.

"Come on, Mr. Ruffles. You can make me some gumbo. I love gumbo at midnight!" Liam ran a hand through his hair as Oliver disappeared out of sight.

"I wonder if I'm still dreaming…"

* * *

Anna walked through San Francisco, her boyfriend walking next to her. She stopped to glance at a shopping window and Ryan stopped with her, his hand in hers.

"That's cute… don't you think?" she asked. Ryan shrugged.

"I'm not sure… I don't do the shopping thing," he replied. She laughed and they continued to walk down the street.

"I know, it's something Liam and your sister turned me onto. I never really did shop before I met them," she said. Ryan nodded and turned her toward him, smiling down at her.

"Well, either way, I'm sure the top would look beautiful on you. Just like everything else does," he told her. She chuckled and pulled him close to her, kissing him lightly.

"Annalisa Maria Elena Guadalupe Lopez!" Anna broke away from her boyfriend and turned toward the voice, and her eyes went wide.

"Antonio!" she cried, running away from Ryan and jumping into the mans arms. He laughed and pulled away, smiling down at her.

"_Hola hermana, que ha sido demasiado largo!"_ he said. She chuckled and kissed his cheek.

"What are you doing in San Francisco?" she asked.

"I came to see you. Yet, I find you making out with some random guy," he replied. She rolled her eyes and took a hold of his hand, dragging him to Ryan.

"Antonio, this is Ryan… my boyfriend. Ryan, this Antonio… he is my oldest brother," she introduced. Ryan felt himself go pale and reached his hand out.

"Pleasure to meet you, Anna has told me a lot about you," he said. Antonio raised an eyebrow.

"Same here. _Aunque se le olvidó mencionar que eran de raza blanca,"_ he said, finishing in Spanish.

"_Qué tiene eso que ver con nada?"_ she hissed. Antonio shrugged his shoulders and looked back at Ryan.

"Nice to meet you." Ryan nodded and tried to rake his brain for the right words in Spanish.

"_Lamento que usted no aprueba_," Ryan tried to reply, causing both Anna and Antonio to burst out laughing.

"You mean disappoint, white-boy?" Antonio asked with a wicked grin.

"Leave him alone, Antonio. At least he made an effort," Anna snapped at him, punching him in the shoulder.

"You teaching your man Spanish?" Antonio asked, rubbing his shoulder in pain. Ryan scratch his head in embarrassment.

"I'm picking up things here and there, mostly when Anna yells at me," Ryan explained. Anna turned to him and punched him in the shoulder.

"She's a violent little screamer, isn't she? I'm sure you know all about that though, big man," Antonio replied. Anna threw her arms up in frustration.

"I don't know what's more fun for you two, picking at each other or picking at me!" She snapped. Antonio just smirked at her.

"_Papá sabe de él todavía?" _He asked. Anna sighed.

"What is your problem with my boyfriend? And yes, dad is aware. I talked to him not too long ago," Anna explained. Antonio's cocky face turned dark as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"So you know about Horatio then." Anna said nothing, but nodded. Ryan shoved his hands into his pockets and watched the scene between the siblings in front of him. He had a little sister, so he understood the big brother tough attitude. Although, it really sucked being on the receiving end of it.

"So Antonio, care to join us for lunch?" Ryan interjected, trying to ease some of the tension between them.

"Yes, I would actually love to. We have a lot to discuss." Anna shot him a look and walked up to Ryan, slipping her hand in his. Antonio just watched the scene and got a sly smile.

"So… where should we eat?" Ryan asked.

"I know a wonderful little Mexican place. They have the best salsa around," Antonio told him.

"I thought you guys were Spanish?" Ryan asked Anna. She chuckled lightly and shook her head.

"We still eat a lot of Mexican food. We do live in California." Ryan nodded and they made their way down the street.

"You in Starfleet as well?" Antonio asked.

"Yes… I'm the _Enterprise's _Chief of Security," Ryan said proudly. Antonio raised an eyebrow.

"And you are Anna's boss?" he asked. Anna turned toward him and shot a look.

"I know what you are thinking, and no… it's not like that," she snapped. Antonio chuckled lightly and ran a hand over his dark hair.

"Just thought I'd ask. You enjoy working in Starfleet?" He asked.

"I do… it's something I wanted to do since I was a teenager."

"Then why didn't you sigh up earlier? I heard you can do shit like that…" Ryan gave a nod and looked at him.

"I thought about it, but I had things to take care of at home," Ryan confessed.

"What, like a girlfriend?" Antonio asked, a few chuckles escaping his lips.

"No… I had to take care of my sister." Antonio frowned and looked at the man.

"I didn't know… that is very honorable of you," he said. Ryan shrugged and looked at Anna, who was looking up at him.

"I did what I had to do."

* * *

Claire walked into the kitchen where Winona was washing dishes, and placed her own down.

"Here, I'll do it," she offered.

"I don't mind honey," Winona said. Claire shrugged and offered her a smile.

"You made dinner, it's the least I could do," she said. Winona smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you dear… I better try and break up the fight anyway," she said. Claire nodded and watched her leave the room and head toward the living room, where Jim and Carl were fighting, again. She wasn't sure how it happened, but in the middle of dinner, Carl said something to Jim, which caused him to stand up and leave the table. Carl followed him and a fight was soon heard through the house.

She turned to the sink and began the dishes, and ignored the two men. Winona had assured her that this didn't happen on a daily basis, but it was only happening because Jim hadn't been home in so long. She heard a dish clank into the sink and she turned to see Sam standing next to her.

"Need a hand?" He asked, flashing her a cocky grin. Claire nodded and passed him a clean dish.

"Here," she said.

"Much appreciated. So you love my brother?" Sam asked as he began toweling down the wet plate. Claire momentarily paused before rinsing out a pot.

"I do. You seem to be pretty straight to the point, just like Jim," Claire stated. Sam chuckled.

"He's more like me. I'm the oldest, so I had the traits first,"

"That's not necessarily true. I'm younger than my brother, Ryan, but when we were younger, he was really shy and withdrawn. When I started becoming a bit outgoing, he did as well," Claire explained. Sam nodded and shrugged.

"Touché, Ms. Conaway." For the next couple of minutes, Claire continued washing the dishes with a small smile on her face. She always enjoyed being right and proving Sam wrong did nothing, but fuel her competitive nature.

"So, should we be expecting a baby Kirk/Conaway anytime soon?" Without thinking, Claire dropped the glass she was washing on the floor.

"What?"

* * *

"Liam, why are you in my office again?" McCoy asked. Liam unconsciously rubbed his elbow and sighed.

"I had the nightmare again and I'm losing a lot of sleep," Liam explained. McCoy, who was once again face down on his desk, looked up with his usual glare.

"It's a nightmare, boy. Man up. If worse comes to worse, go talk to a Starfleet consular," he snapped.

"Why are you so… bitchy lately?" Liam asked.

"My wife is on my ass about the damn divorce and won't let me see my kid. What's your excuse?" he asked. Liam was silent for a moment before sighing and sitting down.

"Please… I don't know what to do. Can you just… give me a hand?" he asked. McCoy sighed and wrote him a prescription.

"This will help for a couple of days… but you should see someone about this," he said. Liam nodded and took the prescription.

"Thank you," he said. McCoy nodded and went back to work. Liam took the prescription and walked out of the office, almost running into Alex on the way out.

"Sorry," Alex said. Liam shrugged.

"No big deal… what are you here to see McCoy for?" he asked.

"Oh… some lady is at the front desk giving everyone a hard time, saying she needs to see him. I was sent to go get him," he replied. Liam nodded and they stood in silence for a moment.

"So… I should go get this prescription filled out," he said.

"A prescription for what?" Alex asked.

"Oh… sleeping medication. To help me sleep," Liam replied. Alex frowned and looked at his former boyfriend.

"Be careful with that, Claire almost got hooked on those things," he reminded him. Liam nodded and looked down.

"I'll be fine… you don't have to worry about me so much," he said.

"I'm sorry… I can't help it. I don't want to see you hurt," he confessed. Liam shot him a look, but Alex just ignored it.

"I'll be fine, it's just a couple of dreams," he confessed. Alex reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, You should really find help. I'm saying this to you as your friend, not your ex-lover. Please… be careful." Liam nodded and walked out the door.

* * *

"So… how did you two meet?" Antonio asked, taking a sip of his iced tea.

"Ryan was Chief of Security, and he stopped a fight between me and another officer." Antonio chuckled and shook his head.

"Always the little fighter, huh Anna?" she rolled her eyes and took a bite of her taco.

"Yeah, ever since that she's been one of the top security officers on the ship. She's really impressive," Ryan said.

"I'm sure she is. Anna always was an overachiever." Anna blushed and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah well, I was very competitive, growing up with six brothers," she said. Antonio chuckled and nodded.

"I guess you had to be. How many siblings do you have?" Antonio asked.

"Just my sister… she's in Starfleet as well." Antonio nodded.

"Is she hot?" Anna glared at him and punched him.

"Antonio Rodriguez Pablo Jorge Lopez!" Ryan felt his eye twitch at the comment, but merely bit his tongue and thought about his next words carefully.

"I wouldn't know, I don't look at her that way, but she's taken so it doesn't matter," he said slowly, still fighting for the right words. Anna sent him a small proud smile and turned back to her taco. Antonio shrugged, infuriating Ryan even more. At that moment, his distaste for James T. Kirk lessened and he was actually glad that Claire was with him.

"Doesn't matter anyway, Juanita and I are getting married in the middle of fall. I'm off limits," he said with a cocky smile. Anna quickly dropped her taco and wiped at her mouth with her napkin.

"You two tied the knot?" She asked, trying to swallow her food as fast as she could. If it was possibly, it appeared as if Antonio's smile widened even more.

"About time, right? I was saving up for her ring and popped the question last month," he explained. Anna practically dove over the table and tackled her brother in a hug.

"I'm so happy for you!" She squealed out. Ryan placed his burrito back down on his plate and reached across the table.

"Congratulations," he said, holding out his hand for a handshake. Antonio merely nodded at it and looked Ryan in the eyes.

"So, you planning on popping the question to Anna anytime soon?" Anna turned to look at her boyfriend to find that all of the color in his face had drained away.

"Uh… I-I… um…" Antonio chuckled as Anna returned to her seat.

"It's kind of soon for us, _hermano mayor_. We don't want to rush into anything," she explained calmly. Ryan merely nodded, his face still as white as a ghost.

"You don't know how much time you've got left, _hermanita_," Antonio reminded her. Anna shoved her face in her hands as Ryan scooted his chair closer to her and wrap an arm around her.

"I was really hoping you wouldn't bring that up…" Anna mumbled. Antonio looked from Anna to Ryan and then back to his sister.

"Did you tell him yet?" Anna said nothing, so Ryan nodded.

"She told me about it last night," he replied. Antonio nodded as he also scooted his chair closer to his sister.

"The family has a history of cardiomyopathy. Our younger brother was just diagnosed with it, so my father asked Anna to go to sickbay and get checked out," Antonio explained. Ryan nodded as he looked down at his girlfriend.

"She told me. She asked McCoy to check her out and then keep it a secret. She needs a new heart," he stated. Anna couldn't hide her tears any longer as she let them flow. Both men pulled her close and held on tight. For the first time that day, Ryan felt a small connection to Antonio. They might not have liked each other all that much, but they both cared about Anna.

"You going to stick around then?" Antonio asked. The cocky tone was still in his voice, but his eyes were cold and serious.

"Of course. I wouldn't still be here if I wasn't going to," he replied. The arrogant and cocky look on Antonio's face disappeared as Anna continued to let the tears fall.

"Good, because otherwise I'd have to kick your ass," he replied with a genuine smile. Not knowing what else to say, Ryan just smiled back.

* * *

Liam frowned as he saw one of the assignments he was supposed to take care of soon. He picked up the data pad and walked into McCoy's office, frowning at the older doctor.

"Doctor McCoy… I just saw the new assignment, and I saw that Anna Lopez is on the list for a heart transplant," He said. McCoy nodded and looked up from his computer.

"Yes, I am aware," he said. Liam was relieved to see the doctor was not drunk, nor hung over.

"Well… why? If her heart is damaged then shouldn't we just be able to go in and repair it?" he asked. McCoy shook his head.

"She's been ignoring it for the past year or so, only recently has it effected her life. We didn't catch it till recently. Her heart is too damaged to repair. I'm surprised she's doing as well as she is." Liam frowned and gave a heavy sigh.

"You think she'll die? I don't think Ryan would make it if she died," Liam pointed out. McCoy pressed his lips together and leaned forward.

"I don't know. You can never tell with these things, you just have to try your hardest," he said. Liam nodded and looked down at his chart.

"This isn't going to be easy. I've never done a transplant. I'm not even that skilled of a surgeon," McCoy nodded and stood up.

"Claire will be there to help you." Liam raised an eyebrow.

"She's never done a transplant, how could she know?"

"I've had her do a couple of simulations, she should be fine. I'll be there for the hardest part, not to mention we'll have a couple of specialists. You will do just fine," he assured him. Liam nodded but frowned slightly.

"Doctor McCoy… Anna… she's my friend. I don't know if I should do this…" McCoy gave a nod and walked up to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Doctor Peterson… you might think you are a general doctor, but you were meant for cardio. Ensign Lopez asked for you specifically." Liam nodded and looked down.

"Thank you doctor McCoy, I should probably do some research," Liam said. McCoy nodded his head and sat back at his desk.

"Remember I need someone to cover the academy sickbay tonight, since Claire is not available, I need you and Chambers to do it," he said. Liam nodded.

"Yes sir."

* * *

The sun shone through the baby blue curtains hanging on the window and Claire groaned in protest of getting up. For a guest bed, it was one of the comfiest beds she'd ever had the pleasure of sleeping in. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd slept that well without sleeping in Jim's arms.

"Clare dear, are you awake?" Claire recognized the voice immediately as Winona and shot up in bed.

"I just woke up," she called back, glancing over to the side table to see the clock blinking 8:01 back at her.

"Good, I'll have breakfast ready in about twenty-nine minutes," Winona told her before her footsteps began to fade down the hall. Claire smiled at how timely Jim's mother was before dragging herself out of bed and over to her suitcase. Winona insisted that she should unpack her stuff into the dresser drawers, but Claire preferred wearing her clothes straight from her bag. Just as she grabbed the hem of her navy blue tee-shirt, at knock fell upon the door.

"Who is it?" Claire called out, letting go of her shirt. Instead of an answer, the door opened slightly and Jim poked his head in.

"Morning, babe," he said with a smile. Claire rolled her eyes.

"I could have been in the middle of changing," she snapped playfully. Jim merely gave her a wicked smile.

"That's exactly what I was hoping for," he told her in a sly voice. Before Claire could respond, Jim's head was yanked out of the door and the similar face of Sam replaced it.

"I'll take Jimmy downstairs and let you get changed. If he wanted some action, he should have snuck in last night," Sam said with a sneer. Claire said nothing as the door closed and the sound of the bickering brothers echoed through the hall. Claire sighed before crossing the room and locking the door. For a moment, Claire thanked the heavens for bringing her into this world as a girl, not a boy. Her and Ryan probably wouldn't have made it as far as they have if they were both boys.

She quickly slipped off her pajama shirt off and placed a bra on before anyone else interrupted. Once she was changed into her jeans and navy blue tee-shirt. Debated on tying her hair back, but thought better of it when she realized it was just going to fall out anyway.

"Ugh, stupid short hair," she muttered, running a hand through it. Jim might have liked it, but she hated it.

"Claire, breakfast is ready. You should probably come down and eat before the boys eat it all," Winona said. Claire nodded and walked to the door and opened it.

"Sorry, I was fussing with my hair," she confessed. Winona chuckled and walked with her downstairs and to the kitchen table.

"Well, it looks fine in my opinion," Winona told her. Claire chuckled lightly and sat down at the table. Jim looked up from his plate of food next to him and smiled at his girlfriend.

"You sleep well?" he asked. She nodded and took the plate from Winona.

"Yeah, that guest bed is very comfortable. Better than the ones on the ship," she said. Jim shot her a look and chuckled lightly.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to sleep in a nice warm bed every now and then," Winona told her, sitting next to her husband.

"I'm sure she has no problem finding a warm bed," Sam commented. Claire turned bright red and took a long sip of her coffee, while Jim shot his older brother a look.

"Sam, that was uncalled for," Carl snapped. Sam rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. You two should hit the local bar with me tonight. Get out of this place for a couple of hours," Sam said. Claire went to answer but Jim cut her off.

"We have plans," he said. Claire turned toward him and raised an eyebrow.

"We do?" she asked. He smiled and nodded.

"Yes, we do. Don't worry about it," he said. Claire paused and pressed her lips together, realizing this was another one of his surprises. Winona looked at the two of them together before chuckling lightly and taking a bite of her bacon.

"Jim, maybe you could show Claire the barn later. Have you ever been on a ranch or on a farm before?" Winona asked. Claire turned light pink and shook her head.

"No Ma'am, I'm from the city," she confessed.

"Which city?" Carl asked, speaking to her for the first time.

"New York, sir…" Sam's head perked up a bit.

"Really? Were you one of those girls who had to work to pay rent before entering Starfleet. I met a girl who had to do something like that. She's a hooker now," Sam said.

"Sam!" Winona snapped. Claire shook her head and let her fingers trace over her coffee cup.

"Uh… no… I was pretty well off. My parents did pretty well in the business department," she told him. Jim cleared his throat and tried to change the subject. The last thing Claire wanted to talk about was her family, and he didn't want to make her more uncomfortable than she had to be.

"I'll take her to the barn later, we should probably finish eating breakfast first," Jim said, shooting Claire and appreciative look.

"That sounds like good idea," Winona agreed, passing more eggs around the table.

"Don't do anything nasty with your bitch in my barn. I won't stand for it!" Carl snapped, grabbing his plate and raising from the table.

"Carl! Come sit back down with the family!" Winona ordered, but Carl rounded on her.

"These people are not my family. Sam is a fucking man-whore and Jim brought his rich bitch to a fucking farm," Carl snapped, tossing his plate against the wall and heading into the kitchen, probably to grab another beer.

"I love how it's not even nine yet and he's already drinking himself into a coma," Sam mumbled. Winona sighed and turned to Claire, grabbing her hand.

"I'm so sorry that you have to see this, honey," she apologized, releasing Claire's hand and going to clean up the mess. Before she could get to the broken glass, but Jim rose from his seat and put his hand out.

"I'll take care of it, mom."

* * *

"Liam?" For what felt like the millionth time, Liam arose from yet another troubling nightmare. However, it was Alex who was there to wake him from his slumber.

"Alex?" Liam rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Alex nodded and took a seat next to Liam on the bed.

"Yeah, I know normally Rupert or Oliver come to check on you, but McCoy asked me to come check out your vitals," Alex explained, pulling his scanner out. Liam nodded as he let out a heavy sigh.

"This is the fifth night in a row I've had these stupid goddamn nightmares," Liam mumbled as Alex ran the scanner across his body. Liam regretted going to bed without his shirt because of the heat. He swore his heart stopped when Alex's knuckle accidentally brushed against his chest, his very exposed chest.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Your pulse is accelerated, but you're fine otherwise," Alex told him, looking over the scanner's readings. Liam nodded.

"That doesn't surprise me," he mumbled. Alex sighed as he put his scanner away.

"Until the nightmares stop, McCoy told you to take a vacation. He doesn't want you coming to work exhausted," Alex told him. Liam grunted and fell back into his pillow.

"Fuck, this is ruining my life!" He muttered, his eyes still snapped shut.

"Have you tried talking to someone yet?" Alex asked.

"No, I don't think it's a big deal," he replied, sitting up in bed and starring at Alex.

"It obviously is since McCoy's sleeping pills didn't work at all," he replied. Liam shrugged.

"It's still so stupid," he said, placing his face in his hands. Alex gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"If you don't want to talk to a ship's consular, I'm here for you too," Alex suggested.

"Thanks," Liam replied, looking down and fiddling with his sheet. The two of them were alone in his room and here Alex was, trying to help him. Without thinking, he moved forward and pressed his lips against his ex-boyfriend's. Alex froze for a moment but kissed back, enjoying the feeling of Liam's lips against his. He instinctively moved forward and pinned Liam to the bed, Liam simply moaned into his mouth and ran his hands through Alex's hair. Alex groaned and instantly ran his hand down Liam's toned chest, causing his ex-boyfriend to arch his back.

"Alex," Liam moaned. Alex leaned down and placed his lips on Liam's sweet spot and began to suck gently. Liam shivered and reached his hands up to lift up Alex's shirt. Alex complied and leaned back down to meet Liam's lips. Liam met the feverish kiss and reached down to Alex's pants, only to give a moan of disappointment when Alex pulled away.

"Liam, wait…" he said, pulling away. Liam just grabbed the back of his head and pulled his lips back to his and flipped them.

"We'll deal with the repercussions later," he whispered huskily and reached for his former boyfriend's pants.

* * *

Anna gave a content sigh as she cuddled into her boyfriends warmth. They were both enjoying the feeling of being close with her boyfriend and not having a care in the world. Ryan pulled her closer and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"You comfortable?" Ryan asked. Anna nodded and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of being safe in Ryan's arms.

"I am very comfortable, but very tired too," she told him. He frowned slightly after looking at the clock and realized she hadn't been up for very long after sleeping in till two.

"I'm glad your comfortable," he said, pulling her close. She nodded and snuggled closer, enjoying the scent of his cologne. Ryan leaned down and placed another sensual kiss on her forehead.

"Ryan, what are you doing?" Anna asked as his fingers played with the buttons on her light purple blouse. Ryan shrugged as he buried his face in her neck, tenderly kissing one of her most sensitive spots. Anna moaned at the feeling as a wave of heat came over her and was channeled in between her legs. Upon hearing her moan, Ryan moved so he was on top of her, pinning her against the bed as his hand began to slowly undo her buttons. He looked up to see Anna's reaction and noticed her breathing had sped up at an alarming rate, more so than usual.

"Are you alright?" He asking, forcing himself off of his girlfriend, but Anna grabbed his collar and pulled him back down.

"I'm… fine… let's keep going," she said between breaths. Ryan thought perhaps she was lying, but the painful throbbing from his crotch was silently clouding his thought process. He wasted no time in dipping down and capturing her lips, running his tongue across her lips, begging for entrance. Anna obliged and the battle for dominance began. Almost as soon as it started, Anna pulled away wheezing for air.

"Anna!" Ryan pulled away once again as Anna shot up in bed.

"Can't… breathe…" Ryan tugged Anna towards the side of the bed. He gently forced her to lean forward and put her head below her heart to help her catch her breath.

"Any better?" Anna nodded as her breathing slowed.

"Yeah, I think so. I'm kind of dizzy though," she replied. Ryan nodded as she eased herself back on the bed.

"Okay, that's fine. Why don't you try to get some more rest?" Ryan suggested. Anna nodded, but her focus was drawn to his crotch.

"What about you?" She asked, gesturing to the tent in his pants. Ryan shifted uncomfortably, but shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it. Just get some rest," he told her. She frowned and placed her hand on his cheek.

"Ryan, I'm sorry," she whispered. Ryan shook his head and kissed her gently.

"Don't be sorry. You can't help it," he said. She frowned and pressed her forehead against his.

"I can, I should have taken care of this earlier. I'm so sorry," She whispered. Ryan pulled her onto his lap, his boner now gone.

"Anna, it's alright. Just calm down, it's going to be okay," he whispered. Anna simply frowned and let a few tears fall down her cheeks. Ryan wiped them away and kissed her forehead.

"I need to take care of this, now," she told him. He nodded and pulled her closer.

"You just have to wait for Claire to come back, and then they medical team will take care of everything. I promise."

* * *

"You pack your bag?" Jim asked, walking into the room. Claire nodded and grabbed the backpack.

"Yes, though I don't understand why. Where are we going for a night that I'll need to pack?" she asked. Jim smiled slyly and took a hold of her hand.

"You'll see… it's a surprise," he told her. Claire scrunched her nose and pouted her lips.

"I-"

"Hate surprises… I know, But I love surprising you." She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Fine. We're not leaving on the bike, are we?" she asked. He laughed and pulled her closer.

"No…we're not. I would tell you if we were." She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Are you going to be a sickly sweet romantic again?" she asked. He smiled and let his forehead rest on hers.

"You don't like me being romantic?" he asked.

"I do, I just never pictured you for the romantic type," she confessed.

"Me neither… I like impressing you though. It helps my ego." She laughed and let her fingers run through his hair.

"Well, as long as it helps your ego," she said softly. He nodded and leaned in to press his lips onto hers. The kiss was short and sweet, but we enough to keep them both wanting more. A couple days and almost a month of no sex was taking it's toll on both of them.

"Come on, we better get going," he said. She nodded and took his hand, walking out of the room and down the stairs.

"Are you two leaving?" Winona asked. Jim turned to her and smiled.

"Just for the night, we'll be back tomorrow." Winona nodded and gave him a knowing look.

"Be careful now…" He chuckled and nodded.

"Don't wait up!" Claire rolled her eyes and followed him out into the back yard and to the barn, where she stopped in front of the door and raised an eyebrow.

"What are we doing?" she asked.

"Riding a horse," he stated, as if it was the most obvious thing ever.

"Really? To where?" she asked.

"That's for me to know, and you to know later," he told her, taking her hand and leading her into the barn. Claire laughed lightly and let him lead her to a white horse, with a grey spots around it's eyes and other places on his fur. It was already saddled up, and looked ready to go.

"He's beautiful," she whispered. Jim nodded and looked down at her.

"Do you know how to ride a horse?" he asked. She paused and then smiled widely.

"I do, actually… my parents signed me up for lessons when I was younger. I know the basics," she told him. He smiled and walked over to his own dark brown horse.

"Alright then, just follow me, and don't get lost," he said. She nodded and pulled herself up onto the white stallion. After a minute of getting adjusted, she turned to him and smiled.

"Well… lead away farm boy," she joked. He chuckled and led his horse forward.

"Keep up, city girl."

* * *

"Is everything going according to plan?" Griffin looked up as Riley walked into the room.

"So far, so good," he replied nonchalantly. Riley crossed the room and towered above his accomplice.

"Do you have the timeline worked out?" He asked in a stern voice. Griffin nodded and showed him the plan he just drew up. Riley looked over the plan, allowing his eyes scan a few interesting parts.

"Good, good. We're just missing one piece," Riley informed him. Griffin nodded and leaned back in his chair.

"I'm aware. I had a few ideas, but I wanted to discuss them with you first," he explained. Before Riley could press Griffin for his ideas, the door to the planning room swung open and Nuhir entered the room.

"Captain, I need to speak with you immediately," he said quickly, stopping their conversation in it's tracks.

"Quickly, Nuhir. I'm having an important conversation right now," Riley snapped. Nuhir nodded and held a piece of paper out.

"Sir, I believe I've come up with a better plan. A fully developed plan that has a ninety-eight percent chance of working. That's a whole five percent higher than Lieutenant Commander Griffin's plan," he informed them. Griffin narrowed his eyes at the Romulan before turning back to Riley.

"What do you think?" Riley didn't answer him right away, but instead looked over Nuhir's plan with thorough eyes. After a few minutes of scanning the plan, Riley looked up.

"I believe that this just might be the plan we've been looking for. Nuhir, this is pure genius," Riley said, proudly slapping the man on the shoulder. Nuhir felt the corners of his mouth twitch into a wicked sneer.

"I just want to please you, captain," Nuhir told him. Griffin felt his anger slowly begin to rise, but ignored it. If he lost his temper, there would be hell to pay. In the short amount of time that Griffin had known him, Riley was a broken man going down a twisted road and no one was going to get in his way of revenge. Riley turned to Griffin and handed him the piece of paper.

"I want you to study this tonight. Tomorrow, we're going to start putting this plan into action," he order. Griffin nodded, but noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Nuhir was glaring hard at Griffin; his beady little Romulan eyes seemed to pierce right through Griffin's skull.

"What about me, captain?" Nuhir asked, wiping the glare off his face as Riley turned to face him.

"Take the night off," Riley order. Reluctantly, Nuhir nodded and backed out of the room. Riley then turned back to Griffin.

"He's a little suck up, but the man had a good idea," Riley explained. Griffin said nothing as Riley walked out of the room.

* * *

Alex gave a yawn as he felt himself emerge from sleep, though the moment they did, he wished he was back asleep. He felt like he had one hour of sleep, and like someone stuck a cucumber up his ass. He rolled over on his side and paused when he felt a warm body right in front of him. It was then the memories of the night before resurfaced and he shot out of bed.

"Fuck," he whispered. The sudden noise caused Liam to jump and he turned toward Alex, his eyes growing wide and his face turning red.

"Oh my God," he muttered. Alex quickly turned around and grabbed his boxers and pants and pulled them up to cover himself.

"Shit, Liam… I'm so sorry," Alex said, not bothering to face him. Liam buried his face in his hands and tried to think what could have caused him to act like this.

"Fuck… what were we thinking?" Liam asked. Alex gave a light cough and began to search around for his shirt.

"We weren't obviously…" Alex said. Liam got out of bed and quickly pulled up his boxers before Alex saw anything, not that it wouldn't have been the first time.

"So… are you going to get in trouble. I know you were supposed to be working for McCoy last night." Alex shrugged.

"No clue… I should probably check in. Liam, I really am so sorry," he muttered. Liam shook his head.

"It takes two people to have sex, it wasn't just your fault," he replied. Alex nodded and tried to keep his mind clean of any dirty thoughts about the half naked man in front of him, searching around for his pants.

"That's funny, that's the same thing I said to Claire after we…" The room went deathly silent as Alex realized what he had just said as Liam narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Did you really just say that?" Liam snapped, crossing his arms.

"Liam, you must know by now that my foot pretty much lives in my mouth at this point," Alex said in his defense, but Liam's angry look didn't even waver.

"Alex, get out," Liam snapped. Alex opened his mouth to try to talk Liam down, but he wouldn't here it. He wasted no time in shoving the doctor out of his room and slamming the door behind him. Alex sighed and turned to make his way back to his room. Just as he was about five feet away from Liam's room, he paused and cursed.

"Fuck, I left my socks and shoes in there."

* * *

Ryan finished packing his suitcase and turned around to Anna who was laying down on the bed. A washcloth was resting on her forehead and her eyes were closed. Ryan got up from the floor and crossed the room to sit next to her on the bed.

"Are you ready, babe?" He asked, shaking her gently. Anna jumped slightly as she came to her senses.

"I think so, the dizzy spell just passed," she replied, slowly sitting up in bed. Ryan held her arm to steady her as she turned to the side of the bed and rose to her feet. Ryan walked around behind her and pulled her close.

"I know that past couple of days have been pretty rough, but we're going to get you back to the _Enterprise_ and get you taken care of, Anna," he promised as she leaned into his embrace.

"Yeah, but even then it's only temporary. Claire and Jim don't come back from Iowa for another two days." Ryan sighed and brushed some of her hair out of her face.

"Just a few more days, then everything will be alright. I promise," he told her.

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"Because you have the best doctors in Starfleet taking care of you, and I won't let anything happen. I'll make sure you are safe," he whispered.

"I don't think you can take care of this, Ryan," she muttered. Ryan frowned and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I can sure as hell try."

_**

* * *

**_

Kirk/Claire Lemon

* * *

"How much further?" Claire asked, taking a look up at the sky. Jim paused and shrugged his shoulders.

"Not much further, why?" he inquired. Claire shrugged.

"It's getting a little dark, and I still have no idea where we are going, or why we are here," she told him. He laughed and paused, glancing at an area in front of him. He then smiled and turned toward her.

"You see that small group of tree's up ahead?" Jim asked. Claire squinted but eventually saw it.

"Yeah… why?" she asked.

"I'll race you to it." She laughed and shot him a look, but inched her horse forward.

"Beat you there!" she shouted, rushing him forward and passing him by. Jim laughed and followed after her. Claire couldn't help the giggles that escaped her lips as she felt the freedom of moving with her horse to the small group of trees. Eventually they reached the trees and she turned toward him just as he jumped off his horse and turned toward her.

"I think I totally won," she told him, letting her hands brush over the horses mane. Jim walked up to her and held his arms out to help her down from her horse.

"You did win, would you like your prize?" he asked. She slid off her horse and into his arms, enjoying the feeling of being so close to him.

"Hmm… depends on who is giving it," she told him slyly. He chuckled and placed his hand on her cheek and leaned down, kissing her deeply. She sighed in content and pulled away.

"Well, I believe I have a dinner for us," he said, taking her hand and leading her away from the horses.

"You do?" Jim nodded and took her through the tree's, pausing when they reached the break in the forest. Claire's eyes went wide when she saw a small lake in front of them, and a blanket and basket not too far.

"Dinner is served," he told her. Claire smiled and took his hand and leaned against him. She sighed and looked up at him.

"Thank you, this is so sweet," she told him. He nodded and kissed her temple.

"You're welcome. Thank you for coming to meet my family," he whispered. She smiled and let him lead her to the blanket.

"So, what do we have for dinner?" she asked. Jim sat down and pulled her down next to him.

"A couple of plates of shrimp and pasta. My mom took the left over pasta, and I found the shrimp," Jim told her. She smiled and took the plate from him.

"You sound so proud of yourself," she commented. He laughed and poured her a glass of wine. The two of them ate dinner with light conversation and ended with a small toast.

"To… meeting families for the first time," Jim said. Claire chuckled and lightly tapped his glass

"Sounds good to me," she replied. She took a sip of her wine and laid back on the blanket and took a look at the dark Iowa sky. Jim moved a few things out of the way and laid down next to her. She put her glass down and moved so she was resting against him, causing him to wrap and arm around her.

"God, it feels good to have a moment alone," he whispered. She nodded and let her hand tangle in his.

"Yeah, no parents to walk in, nor brothers to interrupt," she agreed.

"That's true on both accounts," he pointed out. Claire chuckled and turned toward him, her body moving closer to him.

"I'm glad I met your family though." He smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

"I'm glad you did too… I really don't want to talk about our families at the moment though," he whispered, rolling so he was on top of her. She smiled and let her hands run through his hair.

"Really, what would you like to talk about?" she asked softly. He smirked and leaned down, pressing his lips onto hers. They moved their lips together in sync before he pulled away and leaned down to press his lips onto her neck.

"I don't want to talk," he growled, his hand reaching up her shirt to gently cup her breast. Claire moaned in response and arched her back. She quickly reached down and pulled his shirt over his head, running her manicured nails down his chest in the process. Jim groaned and pulled her own shirt off and kissed down her body to the hem of her jeans. Before he could go further, Claire pulled his head up and kissed him feverishly, pulling away and kissed his lips sensually before pulling away to look in his eyes.

"I love you," she breathed, kissing him deeply and wrapping her legs around his waist and pulled herself closer to him. Jim groaned at her pushing her pelvis into his and broke away from the kiss.

"I love you too," he replied in a throaty voice. His fingers fumbled slightly with her light blue lacy bra, but he quickly undid the clasp and the bra fell away, revealing her B cup breasts.

"A little trouble there, Jim?" Claire asked in a breathless voice as Jim leaned down to take her left nipple in his mouth. He didn't reply, but she could feel him smile into her chest as he ran his tongue over her increasingly hard nipple. Claire moaned and gripped the blanket they were laying on as one of Jim's free hands moved down to the button of her jeans. Teasingly, he dipped his finger into the waistband of her jeans and traced random little shapes on her lower stomach. Claire released her grip on the blanket and moved her hands to his back. She raked her nails down his back, causing him to groan in response as his back twitched at the touch.

"I almost forgot how sensitive your back was," she chuckled. Jim pulled away from her chest and focused his hands attention on unbuttoning the thick denim separating him from his goal as he starred at her in the eyes. The lustful blue met the playful grey as the button snapped off and her zipper was down before she even realized it. Her jeans soon joined the rest of their clothes on the floor and all that was left was her cotton panties.

"You've found my sensitive spot, so let's see if I can find your's," he whispered, thrusting his hips forward into the thin layer of her panties. Claire bit her lip as she let her head roll back, trying not to cry out in pure ecstasy. He smirked and rammed his hips into hers once more, making her grip on his back tighten, leaving a couple of marks in his skin. His lips found a sweet spot on her collar bone and lightly bit down, causing her to moan in pleasure.

Not being able to take anymore, she reached down and un-zipped his jeans, helping him pull his jeans and boxers down. Jim chuckled and reached his hand down toward her womanhood and circled his fingers around her center, causing her to stifle a moan. His mouth traveled down and rested on her overly sensitive nipples as his fingers passed her panties and enter slowly. At this, she couldn't hold back the moan as she lightly thrusted her hips into his hand.

"J-J-Jim, please…" she pleaded. He nodded and pulled her panties down, leaving her naked to the night air, and him. He positioned himself on top of her and leaned down to kiss her deeply, his tongue entering her mouth and taking in her taste. While in the middle of their battle of tongues, Jim took the time to enter her painstakingly slow, causing Claire to cry out into his mouth.

Jim let out a low groan as he was still for a moment, letting her get used to him. After a couple of minutes he slowly began to move, getting up to a pace suitable for the both of them. Claire ran her hands through his hair and pulled him close to crash her lips onto hers. Jim responded immediately and began to go harder and faster. Claire stifled a moan as she worked to keep up. Jim smirked at the fact her body was writhing in pleasure, and pulled out almost completely, only to slam right back into her.

"Oh, Fuck!" Claire shouted, a moan escaping her lips as a wave of pleasure rippled through her body. Jim smirked and repeated the action.

"That's what I'm doing," he replied. Claire growled and wrapped her legs around him, forcing him to go deeper into her. "Shit!" Jim groaned. Claire smirked and repeated the action, feeling the pressure in her lower body beginning to increase as they sped up. Sweat rolled off their bodies, and Claire was thankful they were on a blanket.

Her mind focused back on him when she felt him suddenly slow down the pace, causing her to give a groan of frustration.

"What… what are you doing?" she groaned. He kissed down her neck and left a small bite mark on her breast before pulling away to look at her.

"Teasing," he confessed, a sly smile on his lips. She glared at him and tried to speed up the pace, only to have his hands grasp her waist and control the speed himself.

"Oh God, you jerk," she hissed. Jim laughed and went a little faster, but still slow enough to drive her crazy. He leaned down and kissed her deeply, his tongue lightly flicking hers. Claire moaned at the sensation and tried to increase their speed, but Jim was having too much fun making her writhe under him. In an effort to convince him to pick up the pace, she used her legs to pull him closer and pulled him as deep as he could go.

"Shit!" he hissed into her mouth. He pulled away and buried his face in her chest.

"Still feel like teasing, James?" she asked, a smirk now on her lips. He growled and began working up to their previous pace, his lips making their way to her breasts and let his tongue tend to them. Claire let out a loud moan as the pressure in her lower abdomen came back and they moved against each other quicker. Their breath became labored as they both came closer to their release, and soon is was too much for Claire to handle.

"Jim!" she cried, arching her back and digging her nails into his back. He groaned as he felt her walls clench around him, and shot his seed deep into her core.

"Claire," he groaned, his voice low and almost animalistic. He gave a few more thrusts before falling limp on top of her. Both of them began to regain their breath, and Jim gently kissed her neck.

"I love you, Claire…" he whispered. She smiled and kissed the top of his sweaty head.

"I love you too."

* * *

Alex wanted nothing more than to go hand to hand with a Klingon warrior than be working in sickbay, alone. Of course Jim and Claire got a few extra days for their leave, but everyone else was back to work. With the exception of Liam, of course, although McCoy informed him that Liam had a good night's sleep.

"You seem glum, chum," Spike said in a sing-song voice as Alex went through the patient charts for the day.

"Get to work, Spike. I'm not in the mood at all," Alex snapped as he pulled out Anna's chart. His eyes scanned over the report as Spike eyed Alex up and down.

"You look like you got some," he stated. Alex looked up from the report and glared at the British player.

"What part of shut up didn't you understand." For a moment, no one said anything. Alex turned back to Anna's report and tried to make sense of everything.

"Oh, but you didn't tell me to shut up, you told me to get to work. I can talk and work at the same time," Spike stated after a minute, recalling Alex's exact words. Alex dropped Anna's chart and turned to face the grinning blonde Brit.

"Spike, I don't want to hear your voice for the next eight hour shift," he shouted, causing Spike to flinch. Again, not a word was said. Alex debated on reading more of Anna's chart, but decided he'd just ask Ryan later. Spike disappeared around the corner, but was back to annoy in less than thirty seconds.

"Aren't you working a forty-eight hour ship today as punishment for skipping work and sleeping with your ex?" He asked. Alex's left eye twitched and he gripped the edge of his shirt so as not to strangle the intern before him.

"And you have an eight hour shift today. Work, now," he ordered, his knuckles turning white. Spike stuck his tongue out, but returned back to his post. Alex grunted angrily and leaned against a nearby table.

"Why does all the shit in my life happen at one time?"

* * *

Anna slowly made her way into the sickbay and gave a heavy sigh. She was not used to being in her, and especially being a patient in here. The fact that she was checking herself in, just made that fact more and awkward.

"Anna, there you are," Liam said upon seeing her. Anna smiled and walked over to him.

"Hey… do I get my own bed?" she asked. Liam chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, we just need you to sign in." She nodded and followed the gay man to the main desk and waited for him to give her the chart.

"So… how long do you think I will be in here?" she asked. Liam shrugged and handed her the chart.

"A few days, a few weeks. If all goes well it should be a quick recovery," he told her. She nodded and signed it and sighed heavily.

"Alright… let's get this started," she said.

* * *

Claire gave a light giggle as they made their way to the barn, they had decided to have their horses gallop back in order to beat the rain. Jim was a bit ahead of her, and she gave her horse a light kick to make him go faster. The horse only made it to the field to stop and jump to it's hind legs, causing her to fall of.

"Shit!" she screamed, falling into a bush and rolling off. After pausing to realize that she had just fallen off her horse, she sat up to see her horse running into the barn, next to Jim's.

"Fuck. You alright?" Jim asked, kneeling down next to her. She nodded and began laughing.

"I can't believe I fell off the damn horse!" she cried, her laughter echoing through the meadow. Jim shook his head and leaned down to press his lips onto hers in a quick, but sensual, kiss. She kissed back and wrapped her arms around his neck, not caring who saw them at the moment. Before they could deepen the kiss, a clash of lightning lit the sky, and thunder echoed through the sky. Claire broke away from Jim just as the rain began to pour, and she gave a light squeal.

"Inside!" Jim said, grabbing her hand and pulling her up. She complied and they both ran into the barn and tried to catch their breath.

"Aww, I had to wear a white shirt," Claire whispered. Jim glanced at her and smiled wickedly. He moved forward and trapped her between himself and wood pillar in the barn. He leaned down and let his lips hover above hers.

"I don't mind this look on you," he said. She rolled her eyes and smiled.

"You wouldn't, would you?" he laughed and leaned down to capture her lips, pulling her closer to him. Once again, before he could deepen the kiss, he was interrupted. This time, but a mans voice.

"Jim, mom is looking for you. So pull yourself off your girlfriend, will you?" Sam asked, putting the horse Claire used into a stall. Jim sighed and left a quick kiss on Claire's lips before walking out of the barn, and leaving Claire alone with his older brother.

"Nice rack," he stated, nodding towards her chest. Claire crossed her arms and scurried into the house, but not before Sam reached out and grabbed her ass through her soaking wet jeans. Claire made sure to take the fastest route to her room without having to talk to Sam again. She knew Sam was a pervert, but his actions just made her skin crawl. A knock fell upon her door, causing her to practically jump out of her skin. Before she could answer, Jim walked into the room without permission.

"Hey, are you okay? You look kind of pale," he said, the smile he entered with replaced with a worried look. He reached out and placed a hand on her forehead as she shook her head.

"Your b-brother…" she stuttered, swallowing hard as she recalled the lustful look upon his face.

"What happened?" he asked, his face now filled with worry. She shook her head and buried her face in his chest and took a deep breath. Regardless of how much of a pig Sam was she didn't want to cause trouble. After a couple of minutes she pulled away and took a deep breath.

"I'm alright," she muttered.

"No you're not… what happened?" he asked. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

"It's… nothing. Just a little too friendly grope," she mumbled. She was half hoping Jim didn't hear her, but that was not the case.

"He grabbed you?" he asked. She nodded but took a hold of his shirt, as if to keep him there.

"It was nothing I haven't had before, it just… it reminded me of Nuhir… just for a moment," she whispered. Jim's frown increased as he realized who she was talking about.

"I'm going to kill him," he snapped. He walked out the door and Claire took a hold of his arm.

"Please, Jim… just wait," she said, trying to pull him back into the room. Jim was already out into the hallway and turned to leave, but stopped when he saw his brother.

"Sam…" he hissed. Claire moved so she was in front of him and put her hands on his chest.

"Jim, wait, please just wait for a minute. I don't want to start any trouble," she pleaded with him.

"He's the one starting trouble. Why are you even here, Sam?" he hissed. Sam rolled his eyes and crossed his arm.

"What, your little girlfriend come running to you? Way to tell on me," he said, a small smirk on his face. Claire had her back to him, but even then she could tell he was checking out her bra, which was showing due to the fact she was still wearing the wet tee shirt.

"Jeez Sam, you're like one stranger away from becoming a rapist," she snapped, but Jim put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let me take care of this. Why don't you go get changed ," he whispered to her. Claire nodded, Sam's eyes still tracing over her wet figure.

"Please, just don't fight him or anything," Claire pleaded. Jim nodded as she left to two men alone. She wasn't gone but five minutes when she heard a loud crash.

"YOU STUPID SON OF A BITCH! I'm a different man now and Claire is special to me, not like those whores you hook up with every other nights," Jim's voice snapped. Claire ran out to where the two brothers were fighting, expecting to see blood and fists flying, but the one thing at the scene was a broken vase.

"That used to be you too, Jim. We had the time of our lives picking up pretty girls with no strings attached. Claire's a pretty girl," Sam snapped back. Claire watched Jim lung forward and shove his older brother against a wall, his arm pressing down on Sam's windpipes.

"Don't ever talk about her like that. Don't ever look at her like you look at every other woman. Claire isn't just any woman, she's mine and I will kick your ass if you try to pull some shit like that again," he hissed. Claire quickly walked over and put a hand on Jim's arm. She saw the pressure on his brothers windpipes increase, and she began to worry for Sam's life. He may have been a pig, but he was still Jim's brother.

"Jim, stop… please, you're going to kill him!" she cried. Jim paused before letting go of him and watching his older brother fall to the floor and wheeze. Claire immediately kneeled down and checked his throat, her medical training getting the best of her.

"Asshole!" Sam snapped, though his voice was raspy, and didn't quite come out correctly.

"You're the asshole. I don't know what happened to you, Sam. We used to be best friends, but until you grow up and learn to be an adult, I can't even look at you," Jim snapped, turning around and walking into Claire's room. Claire sighed and looked back at Sam and at his throat.

"You should be fine… if your throat hurts, see if some tea will help it," she told him, standing up.

"Yeah, whatever," Sam snapped. Claire sighed and walked into her room, where Jim was laying on the bed. Claire frowned and turned toward her suitcase and grabbing a sun dress. The two of them were silent as Claire closed her door and changed into her dry clothes, not bothering to put a bra back on. After a minute, she walked to the bed and lightly tapped on his leg.

"Jim…" she said softly. When he said nothing she crawled so she was straddling his waist, causing him to look up at her. His hands immediately when to her waist and she tried to smile down at him.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Sorry for what?" he asked. She let her manicured fingers trace over his abs.

"For causing the fight between you and Sam. I know you said you hate arguing with your brother," she told him. He shrugged and smiled up at her.

"Don't worry about it. I'm a different guy than I used to be, Sam… hasn't changed a bit," he said. Claire nodded but frowned.

"I still feel bad," she admitted. Jim moved so he was sitting up, but made sure he kept Claire on his lap.

"Well, it is kind of your fault," he agreed. She scrunched her nose and smacked his shoulder, causing him to laugh.

"Way to be mean, you jerk." He laughed once more and kissed her scrunched up nose.

"I love you," he told her, leaning down and kissing her lips.

"So I've heard."

* * *

Anna sighed as she had blood taken for what felt like the hundredth time that night.

"You okay?" Anna looked up as Liam walked into the room. She sighed and leaned back against her pillow.

"I feel like a voodoo doll, getting prick and prodded all day," she mumbled. Liam nodded and took the seat next to her bed.

"I feel like a teenager in love again," he mumbled. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, not to sound like a bitch or anything, but I'm pretty sure I'm in a worse boat then you and Alex," she said. Liam nodded.

"Sorry, I just really haven't had anyone to talk to and you've been sitting here by yourself for awhile… I just figured we could both talk about our feelings and such," he said. After hearing his words, Anna couldn't help, but burst out laughing. "What?"

"You should like such a girl, it's kind of funny," Anna pointed out. Liam shrugged.

"It came along with the craving for penis and the superior sense of style," he admitted. This time both of them burst out into laughter.

"So what's new in the soap opera of gay men," Anna asked once they settled down again. Liam leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"We slept together." Anna waited for Liam to say more, but more never came.

"Care to elaborate?"

"I don't know… it's just I've been having these dreams for almost a week now and Alex was there when I woke up and then… things just happened," he explained. Anna chuckled and leaned back against her pillow.

"Did he trip and his penis just happen to fall in your mouth?" She inquired. Liam shrugged.

"No, more like he tripped and his penis magically got covered in lube and he fucked the shit out of my ass, but it felt so heavenly." Anna furrowed her eyebrows.

"Sorry, but I don't see the appeal of anal sex. I'll take your word for it and say it's heavenly… if you're into that sort of thing," she said. Liam shrugged and looked down at the deathly pale woman in front of him.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. Anna sighed and shrugged.

"Fine… I guess. I've felt better before," she confessed. Liam frowned and took a hold of her hand.

"Just hang on, Claire will be back tomorrow, and then we'll get the procedure going as soon as we can," he assured her.

"I know… I just feel bad for Ryan. He's been trying so hard to put on a happy face and I know this is really tough for him. He's already lost Colleen, I don't know if he'll be able to lose me too," she said. Liam shrugged and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"He's not going to lose you. You are going to make it through this surgery. Neither, I nor Claire will let that happen to you." Anna sighed and laid back into the bed.

"I hope not."

* * *

"God, I haven't been here in a while…" Jim muttered. Winona chuckled and looked around the old bar and grill. Before she met her current husband, she brought her boys here every so often. Then, after she had gotten married, she took them here on special occasions. Tonight was one such occasion.

"It's been a while since I was here as well…" she confessed. He nodded and took sip of his beer. He had been a bit skeptical about coming here with his mom, especially about leaving Claire alone with his brother and his step-father. Yet, he knew that his mother asked him here for a reason, and was not about to question her.

"Has the menu changed at all?" Jim asked, taking a glance at it.

"No, it's the same. Just like everything else around here," she told him. He gave a small chuckle, remembering using similar words in a similar conversation.

"I guess I'm getting a steak then…" Winona nodded.

"I suppose the food in Starfleet is a bit lack luster compared to good old Iowa food, huh?" She said. Jim chuckled and shrugged, his fingers tapping the table lightly.

"I guess… we have a couple of really good chefs around. Plus there is a place for officers to cook themselves," he explained.

"So, do you and Claire cook?" she inquired. Jim smiled and looked up at his mother. His bright blue eyes meeting her pale blue irises.

"Sometimes… nothing fancy. Just basic food, burgers, fries, pasta, chicken… she does make a mean steak though." Winona chuckled and nodded.

"So… what does Leonard think of her?" she asked.

"He likes her well enough. You know how Leo has been ever since his wife won full custody over Joanna. He doesn't really like anyone, let alone new doctors. He was… is, difficult with them for a while. He says she has great potential. He's even gone as far to say that she's one of the best doctors he's ever seen." Winona smiled and nodded, taking a sip of her cool drink.

"Yes, she seems to be very dedicated to her work. Even being so far away from it you can tell. The way she speaks of he work is remarkable, especially for someone so young. I can see her going so far as to running her own sickbay, being the CMO of her own ship. Very promising indeed," Winona told him. Jim frowned upon hearing her words and pressed his lips together. The thought of Claire leaving to another ship disturbed him, but he didn't dwell on it.

"She's amazing," he replied. Winona watched as her youngest son smiled into the flame of a candle between them.

"She's very young… only twenty-three."

"Maybe, but she's been through a lot. I hardly notice the difference." Winona gave a small sigh, but had a smile on her face.

"She's very lucky to have you so devoted to her," she commented.

"I think I'm the lucky one. Even after everything we've been through, all the stuff I've done to her. She has stuck with me through the hardest times, and she's helped me to a better future. I was never a romantic until I met her…" Winona's smile simply widened. Her husband had gone through the same thing. Before she could reply, their food was set in front of them. They ate in silence before she spoke once more.

"Jim… what are your plans for the future?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Continue to captain my ship, maybe make history a few more times, and try not to get killed," he explained.

"And Claire?" Jim paused and looked up at his mother.

"Hopefully, she'll be there with me." Winona nodded and reached into her purse and placed a box on the table, and slid it over to him.

"Here…" she whispered. Jim wiped his hands on the napkin and picked up the box. His stomach clenched when he realized it was a ring box. He paused before opening it, and took a deep breath. He knew this ring well.

"This is your engagement ring… the one dad gave you," he whispered. Winona smiled and nodded. The ring was a platinum silver, and have three large diamonds, with much smaller diamonds embedded on the band. His mother had adored this ring, and he could see why. It was magnificent.

"Your great-grandfather gave this to your great-grandmother, and he gave it to your father after she died. It would have probably gone to Sam's first son… but Sam does not seem to be having a child anytime soon, and well… since I no longer have need of it, it's going to you," she explained. Jim pressed his lips together and placed the box down.

"Mom… I can't-"

"Jim… I'm not saying you need to get married tomorrow, ask her tomorrow, or even think about asking her tomorrow. Look… I know what it's like on a ship. One minute, you're just looking for a good time, the next, you're asking the captain to marry you and your fiancé on the bridge. I just want you to be ready. I know your father would have wanted you to give that to her when you are ready," she said. Jim gave a small nod and placed the ring in his pocket.

"Thanks mom…"

* * *

Ryan entered sickbay with a plate of food. Claire was coming back with Jim today and Anna hadn't been doing so well the past twenty-four hours. It was killing him to see her so sick and so miserable, but he'd been trying his best to keep her happy. He'd brought her bed sheets to her room, some of her favorite clothes, and now he was bringing her favorite meal to her.

"And where are you going with that, Lieutenant Commander Conaway." Ryan looked to his right to see McCoy standing outside Anna's room. Ryan shrugged.

"Nothing."

"Bringing unhealthy food to a patient before her surgery later today?" He asked. Ryan nodded and looked down at the floor with sad eyes. He just wanted to see her smile again, even if it was tired and weak. McCoy sighed and moved out of Ryan's way.

"Just make sure she drinks a lot of water." Without another word, he left. Ryan wasn't sure what to say, but he continued into Anna's room regardless. Alex was standing next to her bed, checking her vitals.

"Hey Ryan," Alex greeted, finishing his scanning. Ryan looked over at his girlfriend and almost cringed when he saw her. Her eyes were bloodshot and black bags clung under her eyes.

"Hey. Anna, how are you feeling today?" Ryan asked, taking a seat next to her. Alex quietly backed out of the room, leaving the couple alone. Anna turned her head to look at Ryan and noticed the tray in his hands.

"Is that for me?" She asked. She sounded as if she was only semi-conscious, but Ryan nodded and pressed on.

"I did. I wanted to do something nice for you before the surgery, so I made you a burrito," he explained, passing her the tray.

"Thank you." Anna smiled and went to go eat, but froze and leaned back, closing her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Ryan asked, moving forward in his seat and grabbing her hand. Anna didn't open her eyes, but merely laid there.

"I'm just really dizzy," she said in a breathless voice. Ryan felt tears welling up in his eyes, watching Anna suffer the way she was.

"Just hang on, babe. Claire and Jim will be back soon."

* * *

"Mom, you didn't have to come all the way from Iowa to see us off," Jim said, looking down at his mother.

"I wanted to. I didn't want a tense goodbye," Winona said. Jim smiled and leaned down to press a kiss on her forehead.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean for things to get this far," he apologized. Winona smiled and shook her head.

"Nothing much you can do about it. Just promise me you'll be safe, and let me know before you… use that box," she said, giving him a wink. Jim turned red and rolled his eyes.

"I will… if that happens," he muttered. Winona smiled and turned next to him, where she saw Claire walk up, already in her Starfleet uniform.

"Hello, Mrs. Kirk…" she said, though the smile on her face was obviously forced.

"Hello, dear. In a hurry to get to the ship?" The older woman asked. Claire frowned.

"I actually have an assignment as soon as we board, which is why I'm here. I need to beam aboard now," she told him. Jim frowned and nodded.

"Okay, I'll see you on the ship?" he asked. She nodded and quickly reached up to give him a quick kiss before smiling and pulling away.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Kirk," Claire said. Before she could give the older woman a hand shake, Winona pulled her in for a hug and startled her.

"The pleasure was ours. Come back anytime," she told her. Claire pulled away and smiled.

"Thank you. We'll visit as soon as we can," Claire assured her. Winona nodded as Claire walked towards the transporter pad.

"Scotty, this is Claire. I'm ready to get beamed up," Claire said, speaking into her communicator. From where Jim was standing, he could hear the loud and overbearing voice of his Scottish friend. The words were jumbled, but seconds later Claire vanished from her spot.

"Busy girl. Any idea what her assignment is?" Winona asked as she turned her attention away from the empty transporter pad and back to her son.

"Of course I do, mom. I'm only captain of the ship," he said with a confident and cocky voice. Winona chuckled.

"My mistake." Jim nodded, but his face darkened.

"Sadly, Claire is returning to the ship because her brother's girlfriend has cardiomyopathy and she needs to perform surgery today in order to save her life," Jim explained. Winona's normally smiling face lost it's smile as her eyes grew sad.

"That's such a shame. Claire was such a nice girl, I'm sure her brother is just as kind," Winona pondered.

"Yeah… he's… cool." Winona raised an eyebrow.

"Not causing any trouble, are you?" she asked. Jim shrugged.

"He's not a big fan of me. Claire and I… we've been through a lot. It's a bit of a miracle we're still together. Her brother thinks she's better off without me. I'm just glad he hasn't convinced her to break up with me," Jim muttered. Winona raised an eyebrow.

"Jesus, Jim… what happened?" Jim sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Not much… just the overprotective older brother thing. Not to mention the first time we met he punched me in the face." Winona shook her head and lightly smacked him.

"You are an idiot. I love you anyway," she said. He smiled and hugged her once more.

"I love you too, I need to get going though." Winona nodded and gave a small smile.

"Be safe, please…" he nodded and kissed her cheek.

"You know me," he chuckled. She rolled her eyes and pinched his cheek.

"Yeah… I know alright."

* * *

Claire walked up to Anna and looked over her chart, trying her hardest not to frown.

"That bad, huh?" Anna asked, her voice week and raspy. Claire sat on the bed and frowned down at her friend.

"Not bad… just scary. I've never seen cardiomyopathy get so bad." Anna nodded and frowned heavily.

"I know… I should have seen the signs, they were there the whole time. They only just got bad near the end," she muttered. Claire took hold of her hand and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of you. I'm not about to let one of my best friends die, just trust me," Claire said, her voice full of confidence. Anna gave her a weak smile.

"Well that's good, cause I really don't want to die," she replied.

"I don't want you to die either." Claire and Anna turned to the door to see Ryan standing there. Claire immediately ran into her brother's arms, who pulled her close to his chest. Claire wouldn't admit it, but she'd been worrying about her brother ever since she heard the news. And by the look of his disheveled appearance, she had every right to worry.

"Hey, how you handling things?" She asked in a quiet voice. Ryan merely looked down at her and mouthed the word 'later' to her. Claire nodded and they both walked back over to Anna's bed.

"You know, I was starting to think that Ryan and I were attached by the hip there for awhile," Anna said, trying to make a joke. The siblings laughed nervously, but found it hard to let themselves really enjoy the joke. Anna was dying. Claire cleared her throat and picked her chart back up.

"Well, the two of you should say good-bye for a bit now. We'll be taking Anna into surgery within the next ten minutes," Claire explained. Ryan nodded as Claire leaned down and grabbed her friend's hand.

"I'll give you two some privacy, but I'll be back soon. I promise." Anna nodded. Claire smiled at her brother and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before leaving the two of them alone. Ryan sighed and sat next to her, his grey eyes a little dark.

"How you feeling?" he asked. She frowned.

"Like hell… and you?" He sighed and took a hold of her hand and gripped it tightly.

"Pretty close to hell, but not quite there yet." She nodded and attempted to sit up, only to fall back down.

"God damnit… I can't even sit up to kiss my fucking boyfriend," she cried. Ryan frowned and placed a hand on her cheek.

"You don't need to sit up," he assured her. He leaned down and placed his lips onto hers, enjoying the feeling of her lips responding to his. After a couple of minutes he pulled away and sighed.

"I love you, you know that right?" she asked. He nodded and kissed her again.

"I know. I love you too. Please, please don't die in there," he pleaded.

"I'll try my hardest to stay alive," she told him. He smiled and leaned down and kissed her again.

"Ryan," a voice called. He broke away and turned around, his eyes meeting his concerned sisters. "We need to get her in there," she told him. He nodded and turned back to Anna, who forced a smile.

"I'll be waiting right here when you get out, babe. Right here," he swore. Anna nodded as Alex appeared in the doorway.

"Come with me, Ryan," he said, offering his hand. Ryan took it and allowed the man to lead him out of the room. Liam watched his ex-boyfriend lead Ryan out of the room and entered after them.

"Are we ready then?"

* * *

Claire double checked all of her equipment before glancing over at Anna. She was laying down on the metal table in the middle of the room as Alex injected a few needles into her arms.

"You might want to start counting backwards from one hundred now," Alex told her as he secured the last needle into her arm. Claire crossed the room and grabbed Anna's hand. Her grey eyes met the glazed over brown and Anna smiled.

"You have pretty eyes… like this cute guy I know…" she mumbled and Claire smiled as she gave Anna a gentle pat on the top of her head.

"Well, we'll take good care of you so you can go see that cute guy, okay?" Claire whispered. Anna nodded and closed her eyes, her lids growing heavy by the second. Alex turned to the machine regulating the anesthetics and pushed a few buttons.

"She'll be completely under in about twenty-seconds. Where is Liam and McCoy?" He asked. Claire opened her mouth to reply, but the two doctors entered the room before she could reply.

"Is she ready?" McCoy asked, pulling his mask up to cover his face. Claire nodded as she followed the suit. Liam moved towards her equipment as McCoy stood next to Anna on the opposite side that Claire was.

"Wow, I can't believe I'm about to give her a new heart…" Claire whispered to herself, completely in awe at the situation. McCoy nodded.

"It's a new experience, but it's as simple as riding a bike," he told her as Liam passed her a scalpel.

"Because giving someone a heart transplant is the simplest thing in the world," Alex muttered from his spot at the monitors. McCoy had done a coin toss to decide who would sit at the monitors and who would be Claire's equipment bitch for the day. Honestly, Alex was just sad that he wasn't getting in on the action.

"Kicking someone out of the OR is just as simple," McCoy snapped. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Can you guys not fight while I slice one of my best friends slash my brother's girlfriend open?" She snapped at them both. Alex fell silent, but McCoy furrowed his eyebrows.

"And why haven't you made the first cut yet? Are you a little rusty after your little vacation with Jim and Winona?" He asked, though his voice wasn't filled with as much anger as she thought it would. Claire gave him a nasty smirk.

"Perhaps you have that problem, but I'm fucking amazing!" She declared. McCoy rolled his eyes while Liam chuckled at her outburst.

"Let's just get to work while the heart we've got is still good," McCoy instructed. Claire nodded and looked down at the bare chest before her. Hesitantly, she lowered the scalpel down to the exposed flesh and drug the small blade down her chest. With the first cut out of the way, she let out a sigh of relief.

"So do you know Winona well?" Claire asked, her nervousness disappearing completely as she went to work. McCoy raised an eyebrow.

"Are you talking to me?" He asked curiously.

"Well, unless you think I'm talking to the two awkward gay lovers in the room," Claire countered with an amused smile. Liam snorted.

"I'm not awkward, just really gay," he said in his defense. Alex shrugged from the corner he was in.

"And I'm not even that gay, just for one guy," Alex added. The two men exchanged looks from across the room before their cheeks went red and they turned away.

"Back to my question…" Claire interjected, bringing the conversation back to her and McCoy. The head doctor shrugged.

"Well enough. My wife took everything from me on Earth, so Jim lets me stay with him when we're on shore leave. Winona kind of thinks of me like another son," he explained. Claire nodded as she outstretched her hand to Liam.

"Suction," she demanded. Liam passed her a small thin tube and flipped a switch to turn it on. Claire went back to work as McCoy folded his arms.

"So why do you ask?" He asked her. Claire handed the mini vacuum back to Liam as she continued her work on Anna's chest cavity.

"I need something to talk about while I work," she stated. McCoy nodded and went silent for a moment as he watched over Claire's work.

"Winona talk about me?" He asked after what felt like forever. Claire nodded.

"She said you don't call nearly enough. Like you said, she thinks of you as her son," she told him. McCoy chuckled.

"I'm obviously a shitty son, just like I was a shitty husband," he mumbled in a dark tone of voice. Claire placed her scalpel down and held out her hand to Liam once again.

"Don't get all emo on me, Dr. McCoy. Life just dealt you a shitty hand, but you've been doing alright so far. Forceps," she demanded. McCoy shrugged as Claire set up the cardiopulmonary bypass to keep Anna stable.

"True. Winona always did like me more than Spock though," he pondered out loud. Claire raised her eyebrow as she grabbed for the scalpel again.

"She never mentioned him… why doesn't she like him?" She asked as she finished hooking up the cardiopulmonary bypass and began to cut the old heart out.

"How much do you really like the pointy-eared bastard?" McCoy asked as he leaned forward slightly to oversee Claire's moments.

"Well, I don't dislike. I'm kind of indifferent towards him," she told him as she carefully cut the heart out of Anna's chest cavity.

"I like him, unless he takes my pudding. By the way, Anna's heart rate has slowed a bit," Alex pointed out. McCoy nodded as Claire froze up.

"That's fine, the cardiopulmonary bypass is only supposed to keep her stable while Claire replaces the old heart," he explained. Alex nodded and turned back to the screens while Claire resumed her work.

"I was scared there for a second," she admitted.

"It's okay. I was terrified during my first heart transplant. Just keep going, I'll let you know if you did something wrong," he reassured her. The room went silent while Claire continued to work. As the last vein was cut, Claire gently placed her hands within Anna's chest and lifted the diseased heart as well as her left atrium out of her chest. Liam was ready to take the old heart as McCoy grabbed the cooler containing the new heart.

"Peterson, take this to Claire," McCoy instructed. From his corner, Alex chuckled.

"What?" Liam snapped.

"He called you Peterson and he calls Claire by her first name. I do believe I smell favoritism," he stated. McCoy whirled around.

"Chambers, go trade with Dr. Giles. I will not having you harassing Dr. Peterson in the middle of the procedure," McCoy snapped. Alex sighed and rose from his chair.

"Spike, get scrubbed in and go take my post," he snapped to the player. Spike smiled.

"How about we just head back to my place?" He asked with a devious smile. Alex groaned and walked into the waiting room. McCoy glared at the intern.

"Take Chambers spot at the monitors and shut your mouth," he snapped as Liam passed the new heart to Claire. Claire lowered the heart into Anna's chest and began repairing the damage she had done to Anna's chest.

"Easy, Claire. You don't want to send the new heart into shock before we even start it up," Liam warned. Claire glared at him.

"I know what I'm doing," she snapped. McCoy turned around to Liam.

"Peterson, shut your mouth and stop distracting her," he demanded. Instead of fighting with McCoy, Liam did what he was told and fell silent. Claire felt beads of sweat building on her forehead as she worked to repaired the great vessels with her suture.

"Almost… there!" Claire said enthusiastically. McCoy looked down and nodded.

"Good job. And now all that's left is to restart her heart and wean her off the cardiopulmonary bypass. Liam will close the chest cavity when you're done," McCoy explained. Claire nodded as tried to get Anna's new heart pumping, but it didn't respond.

"Dr. McCoy, it's not beating on it's own yet," Claire said as she continued to try to start the heart. McCoy scratched his chin.

"That's not good. Claire, use your hand to try to get the heart pumping on it's own," McCoy instructed. Claire nodded and gently grabbed onto the small limp muscle. She tried to get the heart beating, but to no avail.

"Okay, Liam, I want you to wean Anna off the cardiopulmonary bypass. Perhaps the heart will start on it's own from there," McCoy instructed. Liam nodded and slowly took Anna off the cardiopulmonary bypass while Claire let go of the heart, but it still didn't start. Without thinking, Claire reached for the heart again and began pumping it on her own.

"Claire…" Liam whispered, but Claire ignored his words. McCoy's faced darkened as he continued to watch Claire.

"Giles, the monitors?" He asked. Spike frowned.

"She's dead, mate," he stated. McCoy sighed.

"Claire, stop. She's dead."

_

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REVIEW REPLY TIME!

_**Parallel Days  
**__**Jeck: **__It's all good, don't beat yourself up about it. Trust me, I know how bad college sucks now. I'm pretty sure that pretending you're in Starfleet Academy is pretty badass, I'm not gonna lie. Yeah, we kinda knew we were going to do that early on too, but we were waiting for the perfect time. It's okay, distract your RA like I do to mine. "What are you doing?" "Um… Cara, did you know someone took a shit in the shower?" "WHAT?" :3 True story. We hope you enjoyed your side story!  
__**Raxsah: **__College does suck. I am very jealous that you have the luxury of pretending you are at Starfleet academy. I have no such luck. Grrr, shoulda applied to Towson, or actually gone to bumble-fuck PA with Jeck. Anyway, yeah, the Iowa thing was something I secretly wanted to do for a while. Hopefully it turned out alright. Review soon!_

_**SWfangirl21  
**__**Raxsah: **__Happy belated birthday, I can see why you don't like hospitals. I will pray for your dad to get better. I hope everything works out for you! It seems like it has been a very up and down week. Hopefully Jeck will be coming home soon enough, I miss her! I'm going crazy without my BFFF!  
__Griffin is a confusing character. Like we said in the beginning, he was never supposed to be evil, it just happened. We let him go and this is what we got. The end result shall be interesting, we only hope that you enjoy it. Liam is going through a phase, hopefully he will break out of it soon enough! Even I hate seeing them apart, they are one of my favorite couples to write. They are just too outrageous not to like. I think they are only beat out by Jim and Claire because, let's face it, Jim's freaking hot! Don't worry, you weren't missing anything, we did not foreshadow this so it's probably not one hundred percent accurate. Don't worry, it pretty much just jumped out and said "Here I am!" hahahahahahaa. My favorite dog is a German Sheppard. I used to have one when I was little, Sheba, was he name. She pinned a guy against the back door and went for his neck. She also chased after some guy who flipped her off, and her chain got tangled into the grill, so not only did we have to buy a new chain, but a new grill too. I'm sorry your doggy died, it's always sad when your puppies pass on. I think Rupert and Claire have a very silent and quiet friendship. They aren't close, but she's his best friend's little sister, there is a weird connection there somehow. I think Rupert Grint is so cute! I love that little red head! Not going to lie, I would totally date Jim's brother. Even after all of this. He seems like a creeper, but he's really just a hard core Jim BC (Before Claire, see how I did that? Hahahahaaa) Oliver is the creative genius work of Jeck, he's just so fucking funny. I'm glad Jim/Claire are your favorite Jim/OC. Ahh, you are a classic car fan. Classic cars are nice, but I want a newer car. A Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera. It is sooo sexy, and it's in lime green! Very expensive as well. It's either that, or the Bat Mobile from the Dark Knight. Hahahahahaaaa. Review soon.  
__**Jeck: **__This past week certainty did bring many surprises… I'm glad to hear your grandma is getting better, I'm always happy to hear that best friends made up, and HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY! Mine was the 5th__ of this month! I wish your dad the best. I went to the hospital Monday and was told that I have to get surgery to remove my gallbladder. It's been killing me since October 3__rd__ (long time, huh?) and I haven't been eating a lot, I vomit a lot, and sometimes it hurts so bad that I couldn't get out of bed. They told me I was going to have surgery and return home to do it, but now it looks like I get to keep it (not that I want it anymore). I have a build up of very large gallstones in it. If we let it go, the doctor said there's a chance I could develop cancer. Well, I'm not going to let it go because if they don't do something quick, the girl on the other side of my dorm hallway said she'll take it out with an knife! :D It hurts THAT bad. So that's my week… and since no surgery, it means I won't be returning home. So I can't see Raxsah… and that makes me just as sad… D:  
__We were always up in the air with what we wanted to do with Griffin. But once we get to the end, I think you'll be pleased with the outcome. Yeah, Alex and Liam are my favorite couple. Seeing them apart is saddening, but I'm sure you somewhat enjoyed their short reunion in this chapter. You probably hate us for the cliffhanger in this chapter concerning Anna… :3 I thought it would be appropriate. If my dog Ricky had babies with Raxsah's dog Zoë, I would hope the dog would come out like Rocky. Although, he is more like Raxsah's dog since my dog is a Rottweiler and Beagle mix (yeah, I don't even know how that one happened…) Rupert and Spike are actually references to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Lol And Alex is supposed to look like Alex Karev from Grey's Anatomy. :3 We're just awesome like that. Raxsah mainly did the things with Jim, Claire, and his family. It's all from her imagination. Oliver is a special kind of crazy. :3 Wow, I'm really glad you like Claire and Jim. The problem writers always facing is getting people to like their own characters, but I guess we don't have a problem there! :D Adam and Spock? You mean Alex and Spock? Raxsah doesn't like the name Adam. We found this out as we were name brainstorming. Lol And the car talk once again came from Raxsah. She likes cars. I like motorcycles! Anyway, I always enjoy your reviews! Again, good luck to your dad!_

_**amberhathaway  
Jeck: **You're still stuck with us for a little while yet. Trust me, you'll know when we're getting close to the end. :D**  
Raxsah: **Maybe not two... I'll let you know when we definitely have the chapters worked out. I thought this chapter was going to be longer. Don't worry, we'll drag it out as much as we can. The epiloge is proof of this._

_**Raxsah: **__Well, we have come to the end of our little chapter. Only a few more chapters to go I think.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, and then the long ass epilogue. Which might be the longest chapter out of them all.  
__**Raxsah: **__That's because we never wanted it to end. Hahahahaaa. I'm sad that it has ended. We need to start writing it again. Hahahahaa  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah… if we don't get a new project soon, we very well might. Lol  
__**Raxsah: **__Beyond the Sun the Sequel! Let's not… Hahahahaaaa. Maybe try a different category… we shall see.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, not that I don't love Star Trek, but we should expand ourselves. Besides, we've probably got some more Star Trek stories in the future for our contest winners.  
__**Raxsah: **__If they review. Come on guys, just click da little button and write a few words. Not as much as SWfangirl21, but a few words will be nice. We're also excluding Parallel Days from future contests for this story, due to the fact that she already won. So everyone else, let's hop to it!  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, don't you guys want more Jeck and Raxsah goodness? I do. :D  
__**Raxsah**__: Hellz yeah! And this time, it won't take us so long to write it. Due to the fact that we've finally got a system going on. Told ya we'd eventually figure it out.  
__**Jeck: **__It took a little bit, but we've got our nice little system going on now. And you guys probably hate us a little now because of the cliffhanger… we totally accept death threats via reviews. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__For the record, it was Jeck's idea. But please don't kill her, I need someone to call when bitches be driving me crazy.  
__**Jeck: **__And how else is she going to hide the bodies? Bumblefuck is the perfect place!  
__**Raxsah: **__Exactly! Anyway, review and let us know how displeased you are with this cliffhanger, we appreciate the reviews! Till next time!  
__**Jeck: **__ZOMBIE SEX FACE! :D_


	24. Burning Love

_**Raxsah: **__Hello Fanfiction peeps, did you miss us? I missed us.  
__**Jeck: **__I missed us too. And all the death threats can stop now because the cliffhanger hangs you no more!  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, believe it or not, I almost ended this one with a cliffhanger, but I thought that might have been too mean. Hopefully this chapter will keep you all from killing us. Hopefully. O.o  
__**Jeck: **__Possibly… well, let's not think about that. Let's just think about how awesome Raxsah and I are! :D Modesty was never my strong point.  
__**Raxsah: **__Hahahahaa, Modesty. Who needs it? I mean, who else could create the awesomeness which is out story? I bet other stories don't have a kick ass Liam in them.  
__**Jeck: **__No… just a black guy who is gay and is a medic. Hmmm… Oh wait, I'm giving shit away!  
__**Raxsah: **__Different story, different category all together. Hahahahaaa. Hopefully he'll be as awesome as Liam. Maybe.  
__**Jeck: **__Possibly. We'll see what you guys think of it after we finish this fine story here!  
__**Raxsah: **__I know, we're winding down. I'm no longer giving the amount of chapters, because I honestly don't know. It changes every week. Hahahaaa. Anyway, no warnings for this chapter, but a couple of close calls.  
__**Jeck: **__Everywhere that I am is a close call. ;D They haven't filed that sexual harassment charge yet and I'm quite happy. But then again, I also have Chex Mix.  
__**Raxsah: **__I wish I had some Chex Mix. Or some Combos, Combos are the shit!  
__**Jeck: **__Combos are pretty good… but I have an unhealthy obsession with Chex Mix. My roommate and I are on the second bag already! O.o  
__**Raxsah: **__That is unhealthy. But it's okay, it's college, it's allowed. For now.  
__**Jeck: **__Until I come home, right? HUZZAH! I'M SO EXCITED! People should not be this happy for a surgery…  
__**Raxsah: **__It is rather strange. But I'm excited too! It's party time. You shoulda been home to go on this kick ass haunted house hayride thingy Peter Pan took us too. I missed you!  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, I wish I could've gone. But it's okay, once I get home there'll be parties up and down every street! :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Hellz yeah home slice. But until then, let's give the people the story. I'm sure they are dieing to find out if Anna lives or not. Hahahaaa, Dieing, get it? Okay, I thought it was funny.  
__**Jeck: **__LAWL! Yeah, we should stop torturing them. They probably skipped our rant today to get right to the story and are either coming back to read them now or not at all… in which case… eh, I've got no threats this time. Just read the story for now!_

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Chapter 24: Burning Love

* * *

"I'll be right back Ryan, I'm going to go check on Anna. They should've started the new heart up by now," Alex explained. Ryan nodded and watched the doctor leave the room. Leaving him alone, again. Spike hadn't been much company and spent most of the time talking about how Ryan could fuck Anna without any problems after the surgery, but Ryan merely told him to fuck off. He just wanted Anna to make it out alive.

"Ryan…" Ryan broke free from his thoughts to see the grim face of Alex.

"No… no, no, no, no…" Ryan could feel his whole world collapsing as the realization of what had happened dawned on him.

"I'm sorry," he said, walking across the room and sitting down next to the breaking man. Wordlessly, he put an arm around Ryan as the tears began to fall. Anna… was dead…

* * *

"Dr. Conaway, take your hand out of Anna's chest. She's dead and she's not coming back," McCoy ordered, but Claire continued to pumped the heart. Moments ago, McCoy had instructed Spike to inform Alex of the news and told Liam to mark Anna officially dead for all the records.

"I can save her," Claire said between clenched teeth. She wasn't going to let Anna die on this table. She was going to keep pumping until the heart started pumping on it's own. She had to live. For Ryan. For her.

"Claire, she's dead," McCoy said again, but in a softer voice. Claire could barely hold back her tears, but she continued to pump away. No one said a word as a small beep filled the room. Spike rushed over to the monitors and gasped as Claire removed her hand from Anna's chest. McCoy was shocked to see the heart beat all on it's own.

"She's alive again," Spike said breathlessly.

* * *

"S-She can't… she c-can't be g-gone…" Ryan said between sobs as Alex cradled the grown man. He felt his heart breaking just watching him, but there was nothing else to do. They had done their best. If Claire couldn't do it, he doubted that anyone else could do any better.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, but Ryan didn't seem to respond at all to his words.

"I-I loved h-her," he stuttered, trying so hard to form his sentences. Alex opened his mouth to continue whisper soothing words, but the door to the OR opened and Claire walked out.

"She made it. I saved her," she declared. Ryan froze, mid-sob, and looked up at his sister.

"Y-you did?" He asked, unsure if it was all some sick twisted joke.

"Yep. She died for about forty-seven seconds, but I didn't give up and Liam is closing her up right now. She's alive," Claire told him. Ryan didn't even glance at Alex as he rose from his seat and practically tackled his sister to the ground.

"YOU ARE AMAZING!" He cried happily, planting kisses on her cheeks. Claire was shocked at first, but started giggling at his reaction.

"Did you think I'd let her die?" She asked as Ryan relaxed in her arms. For a moment, he said nothing. Then without warning, he charged back across the room and tackled Alex to the floor. Alex didn't even know what happened when Ryan's fists began beating his face in.

"YOU TOLD ME SHE WAS DEAD!" Claire was frozen in place for a brief moment before running toward the men and grabbing a hold of her brother.

"Ryan, stop! STOP!" she cried, trying to pull him off of the doctor. Eventually Ryan let her pull him off Alex, but he was still glaring at him.

"You said she was dead! You liar," He hissed. Claire pulled him back and moved so she was in front of him.

"Ryan, he was only doing what he was told to do. She did die, but we brought her back! Just calm down," she said softly. Ryan still had his fists clenched but looked down at his sister.

"She's going to be alright? No permanent damage?" he asked.

"We won't know till she wakes up, but I'm hopeful. Just take a deep breath and try to calm down," she instructed. Ryan did as his sister asked and ran a hand through his short hair.

"I'm trying… Jesus," he muttered. Claire put a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down. She led him to a chair and had him sit down to collect himself.

"Alex, can you go get me a glass of water, please…" Alex picked himself off of the ground and rubbed his jaw before nodding. Claire shot him a sympathetic look and turned back to her brother, who was still trying to collect himself.

"She's alive… she's alive," he mumbled. Claire nodded and rubbed his back.

"Everything is going to be fine… I promise," she assured him. Alex came back and handed her a glass of water, to which she gave to Ryan.

"Fucking asshole, it's not my fault you guys just fucking jump to conclusions," he snapped. Claire rolled her eyes and shot him a look.

"Alex, if you keep your mouth shut for the next hour, I'll patch up your face for you," she suggested. Alex rolled his eyes and walked away. Ryan took a long sip of his water and turned toward her.

"I guess you're kinda like a super hero now," he said. Claire smirked and shrugged.

"More like a rock star, but I'll go with super hero." Ryan let out a small chuckle and then turned serious.

"Thank you. You really are something special when it comes to surgery," he praised. She blushed lightly and leaned back.

"Well, I'm no McCoy, but in a few years… who knows?" he nodded and took a hold of her hand.

"She really is going to be fine?" he asked. Claire resisted the urge to roll her eyes and nodded.

"Like I said, it looks good… but we'll have to wait in order to really know." Ryan nodded and smiled.

* * *

"How's she doing?" Claire asked as she entered Anna's room. It had taken a lot of persuading, but she had finally convinced Ryan to go back to his room. The boy needed a shower and a change of clothes desperately. Liam looked up from the machine that Anna was hooked up to and gave her a sad smile.

"She's been asleep now for about six hours," he stated. Claire raised an eyebrow.

"Is that bad?" She asked. Liam sighed.

"Well, I'd hope you know that since you did the surgery. But yes, her heart is working just fine. There shouldn't be any problems," he explained.

"Good, good," Claire mumbled absentmindedly.

"So how's she doing?" Claire and Liam turned to look at the door to see none other than McCoy standing in the doorway.

"You should've come in about sixty seconds ago, I asked the same thing," Claire mumbled. McCoy turned and glared at her.

"Well, I'm the head doctor so when I ask how someone is doing, I better get a goddamn answer," he snapped. Liam cleared his throat.

"Vitals are good and the heart is working perfectly, but she hasn't woken up yet. She's pushing about six hours now," Liam explained. McCoy nodded and pointed to the door.

"Good, now please leave us," he demanded. Liam paused for a moment, but shrugged and headed for the door.

"Yes sir," he muttered. McCoy waited until Liam was out of the room before turning to Claire.

"You did good out there today, Conaway," he told her. Claire blinked a few times.

"Thanks, Dr. McCoy," she said slowly, unsure if he was being serious or not.

"No, I really mean it. I doubt I could've done a heart transplant better myself," he said, this time in a more serious voice.

"Well I don't know about that…" Claire replied, scratching the back of her head.

"Conaway, shut up. I'm trying to give you a compliment," he snapped again.

"Sorry, sir," Claire replied quickly, not even bothering to give her answer a second thought.

"You're a good doctor and a damn good surgeon," McCoy continued. Claire felt her cheeks burn bright.

"You know, up until today I wasn't sure if this was really something for me, but I think it is," she admitted. McCoy raised an eyebrow at her and folded his arms at her words.

"Oh really?"

"Well yeah, I mean I never really had a plan or a goal for my life, just live day by day. But now, I really know that this is something I want to do for the rest of my life," she explained. McCoy let a hint of a smile shine through.

"I'm glad."

* * *

Claire glanced up from her charts as she watched Anna's vitals. She didn't see any changes in her condition and went back to her work. It had only been a few hours since Liam last checked on Anna, but Claire had hopped she had woken up by now. Claire took a glance at the clock and let out a small yawn.

"Come on Anna, if you don't wake up soon I'm going to have to kick your ass," Claire mumbled.

"Like you could if you tried," a tired voice replied. Claire looked up and smiled widely at her.

"I totally could. No offense, but you're just coming off of surgery. Not really all that hard to beat," Claire said. Anna looked at her with tired eyes and smirked.

"Yeah, but you're the one with a bum shoulder," Anna pointed out. Claire paused and then shrugged.

"Good point. I say we call it a draw." Anna chuckled and nodded.

"Okay… I guess I'm alive then?" She asked. Claire stood up and walked over to her.

"I would think so. If this is your version of heaven I'd be disappointed… unless it's hell… then I'm concerned." Anna chuckled, though it was still a little weak. Claire checked a few things on the vital machine and turned back to her.

"Will I feel better? Like… stronger and all?" Anna asked, her brown eyes looking up at the blonde doctor. Claire nodded and smiled down at her.

"Yes. It's going to take some time to recover, but once you do… things will be better than ever." Anna smiled at the news and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God," she muttered.

"Ryan was here earlier, but I sent him to bed. He was going to wait here all night for you to wake up," Claire told her. Anna smiled at her boyfriends dedication and almost became teary eyed.

"Wow, that was sweet of him," she said in an airy tone, her thoughts wrapped around her boyfriend.

"You should've seen him, he almost looked as bad as you did before the surgery," Claire told her, remembering the disheveled form of her brother.

"Thanks Claire, really," Anna said, her sarcasm shining through her weak and fragile form.

"Your sarcasm hurts, but it's true. He really does care about you, you know," Claire told her. Anna smiled as she eased herself back against her pilled.

"I know. Sometimes I just think it's because Colleen is gone, but he really does treat me like one of kind," she admitted. Claire smiled and grabbed Anna's hand, forcing her to look at her in the eye.

"That's because you are. Well, to him. Not to me. Well, you are to me too, but not in the same way of course. I'm a lot of things, but a lesbian is not one of them," Claire clarified. Anna quietly chuckled at her behavior as Claire raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"That babbling thing, your brother does that too," Anna explained, trying to stop herself from laughing too hard.

"ANNA!" Claire and Anna jumped at the sound of Ryan's voice. He ran through the open door to Anna's bedside.

"Ryan? What are you doing here?" Anna asked. Claire rolled her eyes, but smiled when she saw how Ryan's face lit up.

"I'm here to see you, stupid," he said excitedly, gently easing himself down to hug her without harming her.

"I thought I sent you to bed," Claire snapped at him. Ryan shrugged.

"I couldn't sleep. I did shower and change though," he told them with a smile.

"I'm glad, you reeked," Claire mumbled. Ryan shot her a glare, but turned back to Anna.

"You're okay? You're awake and okay?" he asked. Anna nodded and raised a hand to rest on his cheek.

"Yeah, I'm just fine," She assured him. He smiled and looked over at Claire, who was writing a few things on Anna's chart.

"Hey… can we uh… get a minute alone?" he asked. Claire looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"You can get a minute when I'm done. _I_ am working. You will just have to wait," Claire told him. He rolled his eyes and looked back at Anna, who was chuckling lightly.

"Fine," Ryan muttered. Claire chuckled and turned toward Anna.

"When you're better, we are so having a girls night out, we'll even invite Liam," She told her. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Doesn't that defeat the purpose of a girls night out?" she asked. Claire shook her head and put the chart down.

"Not really, it's Liam," she pointed out. Anna paused then chuckled and nodded.

"Alright, just let me know when." Claire nodded and began to walk out, not before messing up her brothers short damp hair.

"Don't do anything crazy, she's still recovering." Ryan nodded and waited for Claire to leave before leaning down and pressing his lips lightly onto Anna's.

"I'm glad you're alright," he said softly. Anna nodded and smiled up at him.

"I'm glad too. I didn't mean to make you worry," she said. Ryan shook his head and brushed some of her dark hair out of her face.

"It wasn't your fault, and I was fine for the most part. I just freaked when Alex told me you had died," he confessed. Anna's eyes went wide and her heart rate sped up.

"I died?" she asked. Ryan took both of her hands and began to calm her down.

"Just breathe, it was only for a few seconds, Claire brought you back. God, I'm sorry baby, I thought you knew. Just calm down, you're fine now," He said, trying to sooth her. Anna continued to take a few deep breaths, savoring in the fact that it was no longer laboring to do so.

"Wow, it's so weird to have someone else's heart. Did they say whose heart it was?" She asked, allowing her fingertips to lightly brush across the left part of her chest. Honestly, the new organ didn't feel much different from her old one, but it was strange knowing that it wasn't her original heart.

"No, they just said it was a match for you," Ryan said, watching her examine the area around her heart.

"It's like… this isn't even my heart…" She said slowly, but Ryan reached out and grabbed her hand.

"Maybe not, but it keeps you alive and it keeps you here with me," Ryan told her, tightly holding her hand in his. He scooted closer to her on the bed and placed her hand across his chest, right above his own heart.

"What are you doing?" Anna questioned, her voice barely above a whisper. Ryan didn't answer her as he placed a loving kiss on the top of her head.

"I hope you can find a place for me within your new heart," he said to her, trying to hold back his tears. It wasn't manly to cry in front of your girlfriend, even if she did almost die. Anna choked slightly, trying desperately to hold back her tears.

"Let's hope it can handle all the love I have for you," Anna whispered to back to him.

* * *

"Forty-five minutes. They've been in that room for over forty-five minutes just making eyes at each other!" Alex snapped. Claire looked up from her doctoral journal about Anna's surgery.

"Dude, chill out. Just because you and Liam aren't making eyes at each other anymore doesn't mean you can-"

"Did you know we slept together a few nights ago?" He interjected. Claire paused an shook her head.

"Uh… no, I didn't. I'm… sorry?" she asked. Alex sighed and moved so he was closer to her.

"I walked in on him when he was sleeping and-"

"Dude, you are such a creeper!" Claire snapped.

"No, let me finish! McCoy sent me because he had been having trouble sleeping. So I was checking his vitals and the next thing I know, we're… doing it," he said. Claire raised her eyebrows and ran a hand through her hair.

"Wow… shit happens when you leave for shore leave…" Claire muttered. Alex nodded and ran a hand over his face.

"What do I do?" he asked. Claire paused before she turned to her best friend.

"Talk to him, if he doesn't want to talk… wait for him to come to you. I'm sure Liam's having a similar reaction," Claire assured him.

"You don't know already? I thought that was your superpower or something?" Alex asked. Claire laughed and shook her head.

"I haven't talked to Liam about it yet, obviously. Don't worry, things will work themselves out." Alex nodded and rested his head on the desk.

"So… how was your shore leave?" he inquired. She shrugged, but couldn't help the smile that came to her face.

"It was… okay. It had it's moments." Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Did you get laid?" he asked. Claire turned red and shifted awkwardly in her seat.

"Maybe," she mumbled shyly. Alex chuckled and patted her shoulder.

"Ah, so innocent, yet so… not," he muttered. Claire rolled her eyes and went back to her charts.

"Says the guy sneaking into his ex-boyfriend's room in the middle of the night and shagging him up," she mumbled. Alex felt his eye twitch, but didn't turn around.

"Touché."

* * *

"I'm so excited!" Liam cried out. Anna chuckled as Claire rolled her eyes.

"Liam, you go out clubbing practically every week. Now you're just going with the girls," Claire explained, but Liam ignored her words.

"This is going to be so epic! I wonder what I should wear…" He mused, trailing off and getting lost in his thoughts.

"Clothes, preferably," Anna mumbled. Her and Claire burst out laughing as Liam glared at them.

"I hope you two are going to do this to me all night," Liam muttered. Claire and Anna exchanged looks and shrugged.

"Maybe," Anna said. Claire giggled and smiled at him.

"Yeah, what can we say, we're girls." Anna chuckled and stepped off the lift.

"Well, I'm off to check in with work before I get ready. I'll see you two later," Anna said. Claire and Liam waved and waited for the lift to get to their floor.

"So, what does Kirk say about all this?" he asked. Claire shrugged.

"He said don't get drunk and sleep with anyone else." Liam chuckled and sighed.

"Yes… we tend to do stupid shit when we are drunk… don't we?" he asked. Claire nodded and looked up a her gay boyfriend.

"So… are you going to get drunk and wander into Alex's room?" she asked. Liam paused and glared at her slightly.

"He told you?" he asked. She nodded and chuckled.

"If it makes you feel better, I got laid too," she told him. Liam raised an eyebrow and exited the lift with her.

"How is that supposed to make me feel better? Your boyfriend is sexy as hell!" Claire paused to ponder it before nodding.

"Yeah… he is, isn't he…" Liam rolled his eyes and stopped at his room and sighed.

"What am I going to do about Alex?" he asked. Claire rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her hair.

"How about, you two figure this out on your own, and stop asking me. Just, party tonight and think about it tomorrow, okay?" she asked. Liam sighed and nodded.

"Fine, what are you going to wear tonight?" he asked.

"A whore red dress… probably short and shows too much skin to be considered appropriate." Liam gave her a sly smile.

"Tease," he hissed playfully. Claire simply shrugged and began to make her way down the hallway.

"What can I say, Jim's rubbing off on me," she explained.

"That's not the only thing Jim is rubbing off on you." Both of them paused an raised an eyebrow.

"Um…"

"That sounded better in my head," he told her. She nodded and smiled.

"I'm sure…"

* * *

"You're going out tonight?" Ryan asked as Anna finished up her work for the day.

"Yeah, to party with the girls. Err… your sister and Liam," she told him as she collected the rest of her work into one file.

"Are you sure you're going to be able to handle it?" He asked as he leaned against the edge of her desk.

"I'm fine. You need to stop worrying." she snapped. After the outburst, she felt bad. He was just worrying about her, but it was starting to get old.

"It's only been a couple of weeks since the surgery," he reminded her.

"I know and McCoy declared me fit to work again a few days ago. If I can work, then I can party," she told him, clearing off her desk and handing him the folder.

"I just worry about you," he admitted as he took the folder from her. Anna sighed and nodded.

"Maybe you need a guy's night. Because I'm fine and sometimes I deserve to have a little fun that doesn't involve your penis," she told him, the snappy tone back in her voice.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry I don't want to get you upset," he told her. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"I promise I'll be just fine. Don't worry. It's just a bit of fun. I promise," She told him. He nodded and stood up, pulling her closer.

"I'm sorry, I just… worry about you," he said. She rolled her eyes.

"I know, but babe, it's kind of fucking annoying." He smirked and kissed her deeply.

"I love you." She smile.

"I love you too."

* * *

"You think this skirt is too short?" Claire asked. Jim looked up from his paperwork and smirked.

"Yes, is that for me?" he asked. She rolled her eyes and made sure the tube top was on securely.

"Maybe later. I bought this dress years ago and never found a use for it. I figured I'd wear it tonight," she said, strapping on the heals.

"Are you going to wear it for me tonight?" he asked, walking up to her and kneeling in front of her. She blushed and smiled at him.

"Maybe, if I'm not too drunk." He smirked and kissed her deeply.

"Don't get too drunk. I don't want to pull anyone off you," he said. She smiled and kissed him once more.

"I have Liam to scare them away, don't worry." Jim chuckled.

"Scare them away or take them into the back room?" He asked. Claire shrugged.

"What that man does with his penis is none of my business."

* * *

Liam tugged his blue skin tight shirt off and sighed.

"Stupid closest…" He mumbled throwing the shirt into a pile of clothes. He'd wanted to go shopping, but being on the Enterprise limited their shopping ability. There was, of course, a never ending supply of Starfleet uniforms though. Great.

"The black jeans and the green tank top looked pretty good," a voice said from his doorway. Liam closed his eyes and sighed again, knowing who the voice belonged to immediately. Finally, he turned around to see Alex leaning in the doorway. "We need to talk."

"No, not tonight. Tonight I'm going out with the girls, getting drunk, and sleeping with some random hot guy who doesn't have a name. We are not doing this tonight," Liam snapped. Alex sighed and nodded.

"Fine. We'll talk when you're ready," he said and turned to leave. Liam watched him go and felt a large pang in his chest. Reluctantly, he crossed the room back to his reject pile and pulled out the recommended clothing. At least the man was good for something.

* * *

"I want a nice strong shot of tequila with a bottle of Corona," Anna said, smiling at the male waiter. He nodded and turned toward Liam.

"What would you suggest?" he asked, a hint of seduction in his voice. The waiter smiled at him and shrugged.

"My favorite is a martini, it's called Alexander. It has-"

"No, I'll have a Sex on the Beach, and a shot of vodka." The waiter frowned, obviously seeing that he insulted the man and turned toward Claire.

"I'll just have a White Russian, and don't be afraid to water it down," she told him. The waiter nodded and left the table.

"Water it down? I thought this was girls night?" Liam asked. Claire shrugged.

"I'm feeling a little nauseous. What happened with you and the waiter? He totally was into you," Claire inquired. Liam rolled his eyes and glanced around the room.

"He has a stupid favorite drink," he muttered. Anna chuckled and shook her head.

"So, you won't sleep with him because his favorite drink happens to be an Alexander?" she asked. Liam smiled and nodded.

"Yup." Claire and Anna rolled their eyes and looked to the waiter who brought them their drinks.

"Here you go, anything else?" he asked.

"No, we're good. Thanks," Anna said. He nodded and shot a forlorn look at Liam before walking over to another table. Liam shook his head and took his shot of vodka.

"Gosh, men are so pathetic," he said, holding his head up high. Claire began to giggle while Anna almost choked on her shot.

"You are such a hypocrite, you know damn well that you could not last a night as a straight guy. I don't even think you could make out with a woman," Claire laughed.

"Yeah, face it Liam… you need men, almost as bad as we do," Anna told him. Liam folded his arms and glared at the two women.

"I totally could if I had to! Besides, this coming from the two women in steady relationships now. I bet you couldn't even snag yourself a one night stand," he challenged.

"That's because we're happy with hot guys who give us good sex. Actually, I don't know what kind of sex my brother gives, and I think I'd rather leave it that way," Claire mumbled, taking a long drink from her White Russian. Anna gave her a sly smile.

"It's fucking amazing, just so you know," she told Claire. Claire cringed.

"What part of I'd rather leave it that way didn't you understand?" Claire asked.

"The part where I could talk about the amazing sex that I have with your brother. You wouldn't believe the things he can do with-"

"LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!" Claire burst out, causing several people in the bar to look at them. Anna broke out laughing as Liam sighed.

"Your maturity levels are amazing," he mumbled.

"Mature is the stuff I do with Ryan," Anna stated with a smile. Claire narrowed her eyes at the girl.

"Stop talking, now," she instructed.

"I dare you that you couldn't even pick up a guy for a one night stand," Liam challenged her. Claire rolled her eyes.

"I really don't want to try. I'm with Jim and he'd kill me if I slept with another guy," she reminded him, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You don't have to sleep with him. Just get him to invite you back to your place. I mean, unless you're chicken," Liam dared her, flapping his arms like a chicken.

"Speaking of maturity levels…" Anna added.

"You too, missy. You two have been so out of the game you couldn't pick up another guy if you tried." Claire snorted and took a sip of her drink.

"Yeah, that's why I slept with your boyfriend, right?" she muttered under her breath. Liam glared at her and was tempted to throw something but stopped himself.

"Wow," Anna said, laughing up a storm. Claire's eyes went wide when she realized what she had said and turned toward him.

"Liam, I'm sorry! I just, it slipped out!" she said. He shot her a look and went back to his drink.

"So, speaking of sex. How was he in bed? I mean, we all know he's amazing at gay sex, but how about straight sex? Is he better than Jim?" Anna asked.

"Uh, excuse me, I really don't want to talk about this," Liam snapped. Anna rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Liam, it happened forever ago. I mean, you can't be too upset with him if you slept with him again. Just relax and let her answer the question," she snapped. Claire took another sip of her drink before answering.

"Uh… he was alright. He was, um… too used to having sex with guys, so it was a bit too rough for my taste," she muttered.

"See, I like it rough," Liam said.

"He was probably thinking about Liam while fucking you," Anna explained. Claire and Liam shot her a look.

"Gross," Liam snapped. Anna shrugged and turned back to Claire.

"So, it was bad? Is Jim obviously better?" She asked once more.

"It wasn't horrible, just took a while for me to… well, you know. Nothing compares to Jim, he's a fucking Sex God," Claire told them, a small smile on her face.

"Do you guys always do it missionary style? You seem like a missionary girl. I bet you guys do it every night," Liam muttered. Claire turned bright red and gave an awkward cough.

"Uh… no, not always. But about fifty percent of the time we do. And it's not every night… just every other night…" she whispered. Before Anna or Liam could reply Claire changed the subject, "Hey, Liam… that girl keeps making eyes at you," she said, gesturing to a girl at the bar. He didn't even bother to look.

"Looking for men, girls. Not women," he reminded them, gesturing to the waiter.

"You couldn't pick a woman up if you tried."

"I could if I wanted to, but I like to tight rough sex. Excuse me, waiter, give me the strongest stuff you have," Liam told him. The man nodded and left to retrieve his drink, but not without giving him a lust filled look. Anna sighed.

"That guy is hot and all over you, so obviously the cock isn't doing it for you," Anna stated. Claire nodded, but paused as a thought crossed her mind.

"Hey Liam, I dare you pretend to act straight the rest of the night," Claire said, a wicked smile across her face.

"Now why would I do that?" He asked, noting the grin on her face.

"Because Anna and I will get one night stands in return. You did dare us anyway," she reminded them. Liam paused for a minute to think over the situation. Finally, he returned Claire's evil grin.

"Alright, but since you're the one daring me to be straight for the night, I dare you to get a one night stand with a women. Anna, you're fine just getting a guy," he told them. Anna sighed in relief and took a nice long drink.

"Thank god," she mumbled, but Claire was not as happy.

"Hey, that's not cool!" She snapped, but Liam's smile didn't waiver.

"A dare is a dare, my dear." Claire scrunched her nose and ran a hand through her hair.

"I haven't hit on a woman in over five years, I'm not even sure I remember how to do it…" Liam raised an eyebrow.

"You've slept with a woman before?" he asked. Claire shrugged it off.

"It was a threesome. Darren had me pick the girl up," she said. Anna smirked and shook her head.

"Wow, the sex history of Claire Conaway comes to fruition." Claire rolled her eyes.

"Like you have never slept with a woman before," she muttered.

"True, what about that red head over there? She looks hot," Anna suggested. Claire looked over and then back at Anna.

"Fine, but if I'm hitting on her, you have to hit on the guy who is hitting on her," Claire dared. Anna glanced over and saw a tanner man trying to convince the red head to dance with him.

"Deal, he's not too ugly," she compromised.

"Fine, we get with the people we are going to 'sleep' with, and then meet back here. We'll proceed from there. Deal?" Liam asked.

"Who are you hitting on?" Claire asked.

"That wannabe blonde girl, who is hanging with one of her friends. She keeps looking over here, though I'm not sure if it's at me or Anna," he confessed.

"Whatever, see you two here soon," Anna said, standing up and walking over to the man. Claire took a large swig of her drink and stood up, making sure her boobs were sticking out a bit more than usual.

"You know, I could have any guy I want in a dress like this, and you have be trying to get with a woman. That's just sad," Claire muttered. Liam shrugged.

"And you have me trying to get with a woman, so we're equal here," he mumbled back. Claire looked over to see Anna whisking the tan guy over to the bar and out of Claire's way. That was one less thing she needed to worry about. Claire sighed and crossed the bar to where the red head was sitting alone, looking slightly rejected now that the hot guy hitting on her was gone.

"Hey there, can I get you a drink?" Claire asked as she took a seat next to the red head. The girl looked up and smiled, her luck seemingly turned around. Claire felt bad knowing that she was using the poor girl, but a dare was a dare. And from the looks of it, Liam had already made his way over to the blonde girl and was chatting her up.

"Yeah, that'd be nice," she said with a sweet smile, her teeth unusually bright and white. Claire bit on her lip, but motioned for the waiter.

"You looked so lonely over here, so I figured I'd keep you company," Claire told her, waiting for the stupid gay waiter to pull himself away from glaring at Liam.

"That's very noble of you. My name is Melissa," she said, putting out her hand and introducing herself.

"My name's Grace, nice to meet you," Claire said, feeling even worse that she didn't have the guts to properly introduce herself. She was dating Jim Kirk, therefore a lot of people knew her. She was hoping that Melissa wasn't one of those people.

"Can I help you?" The waiter asked in a snappy tone. Claire glared at him as she held out her glass.

"Another White Russian, please. And don't water this one down at all," she ordered before turning to Melissa. "What'll you have?"

"The same, please," she asked. The waiter nodded and left them alone.

"So, why is a pretty lady like you sitting here all by yourself?" Claire asked as Melissa let her long straightened red hair fall over her face.

"Well, I wasn't, but all my friends left early with a bunch of guys and the one guy hitting on me was taken away by your Latino friend over there," she explained, gesturing to where Anna was practically feeling the guy up.

"Oh, yeah sorry about that. Anna is kind of a slut," Claire said, causing Melissa to giggle. Anna stopped what she was doing to shot Claire a look across the bar.

"I heard that!" She shouted.

"Go back to your drink," Claire snapped back, a smile on her face. Melissa continued giggled as Claire forced a smile on her face. Honestly, the red head's laugh was the most annoying thing she'd ever heard, but she had a job to do.

"You two are really funny." Claire smiled and moved a little closer to her.

"And you are really kinda gorgeous," Claire replied. The waiter walked over with their drinks and Claire simply chugged the whole thing. "Another," she demanded.

"You planning on getting drunk?" Melissa asked. Claire forced a smile on her face and turned toward the woman.

"Hmm, aren't we all?" She asked. Melissa shrugged and moved a bit closer to her.

"True…"

* * *

A few hours later, Liam was already at the table with his 'woman', who was just about ready to suck his cock.

"Dude… dude… You are like… totally hot," she said, slurring her words a little. Liam took another sip of his drink and patted her head.

"Aww, you're cute too. I think you're- Hey, get your hand out of my crotch… I need a few more drinks for that to happen," he snapped. The girl looked a little put off but leaned against him anyway.

"Okay…" she muttered. Liam rolled his eyes and watched as Anna sat down at the table, a black man next to her.

"What happened to the other guy?" He asked. The dark man raised an eyebrow but Anna ignored him.

"He was too touchy feely. Craig her is much nicer," she said, taking a hold of his hand.

"Uh, my name is Drew…" Anna looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Really? Huh…" Liam rolled his eyes and looked around the bar and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Where did Claire go?" he asked. Anna looked around and spotted the blonde on the dance floor.

"She's making good on her dare," she said. Drew and Liam followed her gaze, and She swore that Drew's eyes bugged out of his head.

"Dude… that is so fucking hot," he muttered. Out on the dance floor, Claire was bumping and grinding on the red head, while the other woman had one hand on her waist, and the other on her ass. Not to mention the red heads lips were lightly kissing her bare shoulder, and slowly making their way up her neck.

"Dude… Claire has to be drowning in alcohol right about now," Liam said. Anna nodded and pulled out her data pad, recording the video and smiling evilly.

"Blackmail… or porn, whichever one," she said, causing the table to laugh. Liam went to chug back his drink, but found his cup to be empty.

"I'll be right back, that damn waiter isn't getting here fast enough," Liam muttered, gently pushing Lisa out of his lap. She groaned at being shoved away, but Liam ignored her and crossed the room. Anna leaned back into Craig or Dave or Drew or whatever his name was and sighed contently.

"You want to get out of here and head back to my place?" Drew asked with a confident smile. Anna smiled too and got off the guy.

"Thanks Steve, but I just fulfilled my dare. I've got a boyfriend, so I'll see you around buddy," Anna said as she too rose from the table and headed off in the same direction that Liam had gone off to. When she reached the bar, neither Liam or the waiter was anywhere in sight.

"Hey, where's Liam?" Claire asked trying to regain her breath as she and Melissa ran into the bar, both giggling like schoolgirls. Claire had decided after about nine drinks, the annoying giggling wasn't so bad.

"No idea," Anna mumbled. Claire opened her mouth to reply, but a long scream filled the bar. Heads turned towards the boys bathroom and Anna groaned.

"Do you think… was that?" Claire asked, trying to form the words. Alex had always complained that Liam was a screamer, but he had officially just proved it. Anna nodded.

"Sadly, I think it was. I do believe he just lost his bet," Anna stated. Claire nodded.

"Yeah, how about you?" She asked, completely forgetting the presence of Melissa standing next to her.

"I did my duty, you?" Claire paused before turned to Melissa, who raised an eyebrow.

"Uh… what would you think about heading back to my place for the night?" Claire asked. Melissa smiled and attached herself onto her arm.

"Of course," she said, batting her eyes at Claire. Claire turned toward Anna and smiled.

"I win," she said triumphantly. Melissa broke off from Claire an raised an eyebrow.

"You were using me?" she asked, her hands on her hips. Claire nodded and took another sip of her drink.

"Yup, sorry. I have a boyfriend, Jim Kirk… and he's one jealous son of a bitch too," Claire said. Melissa paused before raising an eyebrow.

"You are dating James T. Kirk?" She asked. Claire nodded and sat down.

"Yeah… why?" she asked. Melissa shrugged before looking at her shyly. She stepped forward and placed a hand on Claire's thigh.

"Would he be interested in a threesome?" She asked. Claire scrunched her nose and pushed the red head away.

"Probably, but he isn't getting one unless there is a ring on my damn finger," Claire stated. Melissa huffed and walked away. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"A ring on your finger? You planning on getting married anytime soon?" she asked. Claire shook her head and took another sip.

"No… well… no," Claire said. Anna chuckled and took another sip.

"You sound so sure there." Claire sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I don't know. I'm only twenty-three… almost twenty-four, do I really want to be tied down?" Claire asked.

"Yeah, but you've already said you love Jim, and don't want to be with anyone else," Anna pointed out.

"True, but if I get married, nights like this suddenly are out of play. Not to mention kids come along and-"

"But Ryan said you love kids and are really good with them." Claire rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I do, and I am. But… what if Jim doesn't want kids? What am I going to do then? Plus I'd be a horrible mom." Anna shrugged and took a long sip of her drink.

"But you're kids would be fucking gorgeous, just on Jim's looks alone." Claire rolled her eyes and watched as Liam made his way over them.

"Okay, ready to go?" he asked.

"Claire and I made good on our deal… what about you?" she asked. Liam blushed and crossed his arms.

"Stupid dare anyway," he muttered. Claire's eyes went wide and stood up.

"Stupid dare? I got kissed by a girl and you…" She trailed off and covered her mouth. Both Anna and Liam watched her carefully and watched as she turned to the side and emptied the contents to her stomach on the floor.

"Oh… gross," Anna said. Liam rolled his eyes and held back Claire's hair while leading her into the bathroom. Anna said sorry to a few people and followed the pair into the ladies room, stopping and cringing when she heard Claire continue to throw up.

"It's okay… just let it all out," Liam told Claire, rubbing her back and continuing to hold her hair back.

"When did I eat cake?" Claire asked. Anna cringed and grabbed some paper towels and a breath mint.

"Don't worry, we'll get you back to the ship, give you a flusher to flush your system of alcohol and drop you off at your place. Okay?" Liam asked.

"Here, this should help," Anna said. Claire wiped her face and turned toward her friends.

"I want to go home…" she stated. Liam nodded and helped her up.

"Okay, let's get you home."

* * *

Anna gave a groan as her hands went to her head, as if that would stop the massive headache coming on. She knew drinking like that would be a bad idea, but of course, she had let Liam and Claire talk her into it.

"Crazy young people," she muttered. Though, she wasn't sure that statement made sense, one because Claire was only a couple years younger than her, two, because Liam was older than both of them. She felt someone sit next to her on the bed and put a hand on her forehead.

"How you feeling?" Someone asked in a whisper. She was very thankful the person knew already she was hung over, because this would have made this conversation ten times worse.

"Like crap," she whined. The person sighed and continued to rub her forehead.

"Anna, I know you don't want to, but you do have to work today," the voice reminded her. She slowly opened her eyes and met her boyfriends worried grey irises.

"I don't want to work," she cried. Ryan sighed and shook his head.

"You have to work, now come on." Anna groaned and tried to turn over, but Ryan caught her and flipped her.

"No, Ryan!"

"You have to work, there is no question about it. I might be your boyfriend, but right now I'm your boss. Get up and get to work." Anna glared at her and gave a small growl.

"You get me out of this bed and you will not be having sex for a month," she snapped.

"You don't get out of this bed, and you'll be doing paperwork for a month," he replied.

"Suck it," Anna hissed. Both of them glared at each other before Ryan shrugged and turned around.

"Fine, be like that. I have a hand," he snapped. After a minute Anna gave a heavy sigh and sat up.

"I'm coming, god. Don't have a bitch fit."

* * *

Alex looked up from his patient chart and raised an eyebrow at his best friend.

"Jesus… what did you do last night?" he asked. Claire ran a hand through her hair and shrugged.

"I honestly have no clue. I woke up with Jim laughing at me, a tear in my dress, and a napkin in-between my breasts with a number on it," she mumbled. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Was Jim super jealous?" he asked. Claire shook her head and took a long sip of her coffee.

"No, that's the reason he was laughing at me. It was a woman's number…" Alex paused before he burst into laughter. Claire shot him a look just as Liam walked into sickbay and raised an eyebrow.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"Claire got drunk and got a woman's number," Alex said, still laughing hysterically. Liam chuckled and nodded, looking over at the hung over blonde.

"Ah yes, Melissa… she seemed nice, until she tried to follow us onto the lift." Claire scrunched her eyebrows together and ran a hand through her hair.

"I don't remember that… I just remember the bet… and someone's hand on my ass," she muttered.

"Ah yes, ask Anna if you want your memories brought up again," Liam told her. Before Claire could ask why, Spike walked over and slammed a chart in front of her.

"Fuck!" Claire hissed, covering her ears.

"Mrs. Fisher is at bed six, and she is upset because her husband is currently on the planet the station is hovering around," he said. Claire nodded and grabbed a hypo spray out of her pocket and stabbed herself with it.

"Alright, two hours and I'll be just fine," she muttered. Alex shook his head and Liam injected himself with his own hypo spray.

"There, now we shall be sober." Spike raised an eyebrow.

"I thought your little hangover cure worked instantaneously?" he asked. Claire shrugged.

"It would, if I didn't get a shot to flush out of my system. When you put the two together, things get wonky." Claire explained.

"And it's not really hers, she stole it from McCoy," Alex corrected. Claire looked around to see if the doctor was around, and when he wasn't she gave a sigh of relief.

"You promised to keep your damn mouth shut!" she hissed. Alex shrugged and she smacked him once more.

"Sorry!"

"Doctor Conaway, Mrs. Fisher is still asking for you," Nurse Chapel said. Claire nodded and grabbed the chart.

"Come on Spike, we've got shit to do!" Spike sighed and followed her to the bed, leaving Alex and Liam alone. After a few minutes Alex spoke.

"Liam… We still need to talk," he said. Liam sighed and threw a chart over to him.

"I'm not talking, I have too many things to think about to talk right now," Liam said. Alex furrowed his eyebrows and walked toward the gay man.

"Liam… come on. We can't just keep putting this off until it's too late to talk about it." Liam took a deep breath and looked down to grab a chart. When he did look up, his eyes were cold.

"Watch me," he said.

* * *

"Hello, Mrs. Fisher… what can I help you with?" she asked. Samantha Fisher sat up a little on her bed and forced a smile.

"Oh, just some pains in my abdomen, I was hoping you could take a look at it," she said. Claire nodded and handed Spike her chart while Claire lightly moved her hands over the pregnant woman's stomach.

"Well, from what I can feel, your baby has turned… when are you getting these pains?" Claire asked.

"Um… well, it went from being one a couple hours, to one a few minutes. I'm just worried because they are really strong, sort of like contractions," Samantha said. Claire raised an eyebrow and grabbed her scanner and looked her over.

"Samantha, I believe you are having contractions," she stated calmly, inside, she was a little worried. Sure she was certified to deliver a baby, but she never had.

"I can't be, I'm not due for another week!" Samantha cried. Claire walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sometimes they come a bit early. It's not to worry. The baby is fully developed and will be able to survive out of the womb," Claire assured her. Claire then walked to her stomach and began scanning the baby.

"I can't be going into labor, my water didn't break!" A second later she gasped and looked down at her legs, Claire raised an eyebrow and followed her gaze, her eyes growing wide and her jaw dropping. Spike also raised an eyebrow and turned toward Samantha.

"Well… that solves that problem."

* * *

Jim gave a heavy sigh as he went over a few things on the bridge. His night had been a complete bust, even when he planned to have a huge party. He, McCoy, and Spock went to Deck 5, instead of the local bar, and spent the night drinking and partying. Unfortunately, his party got cut short when an admiral called him and insisted on going over a report with him, which he had submitted months ago. Afterwards he had gotten back to his room and laid around with Rocky. After a couple hours, Liam carried in a very drunk Claire, who repeatedly asked Jim to shower with her and get his belly button pierced with her. He then realized why Ryan hated when his sister got drunk.

Now, he was back to work, though there wasn't a lot of it. He leaned back in his chair and looked over a new supply report when he heard a small beep coming from the computer.

"Captain, incoming transition from sickbay," Uhura said. Jim looked up and gave her a nod.

"Put it on," he ordered. Uhura nodded and pressed a button. "This is Captain Kirk," Jim said.

"Jim, it's McCoy…" Jim raised an eyebrow.

"Bones… What can I do for you?" Jim asked.

"Well, Samantha Fisher is currently in labor, and we can't get a hold of her husband. We need you to call him off the planet," McCoy explained.

"Oh really? First birth on the Enterprise. Are you doing the birth?" Jim asked, already signaling Chekov to call Lieutenant Fisher.

"I am assisting Doctor Conaway on the birth," he said. Jim nodded and looked at Chekov, who gave him a nod.

"Alright, I'll have her husband up as soon as I can." Before McCoy could reply, a scream erupted in the background, along with something crashing.

"He better get her soon, She's not going to last long…" the line went dead and Jim looked toward Chekov.

"Uh… Get lieutenant Fisher up her as soon as possible."

* * *

"Samantha, you need to relax and get ready to push. You are fully dilated and the baby needs to come out," Claire told her. Samantha Fisher shook her head and grabbed onto Spike's hand when another contraction hit.

"No! I need to wait for Kevin!" she shouted. Claire sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Samantha, if you don't get the baby out, it's going to harm you and the baby. Please, we need to do this now," Claire said softly. Samantha gave another yell and Claire flinched from how loud it was. Spike held back the chuckle that threatened to slip from his lips, obviously noticing that the female doctor was still hung over.

"Damnit, where the hell his my husband?" Samantha cried. Claire walked up to her and glared down at her.

"Listen, Samantha Fisher… I'm not going to tell you again. You need to give birth to this baby like twenty minutes ago. Now, you need to start pushing, or your husband is going to come back to a ship without a baby, and maybe even possibly without a wife. So please, can you just push for me?" Claire asked. Samantha paused for a long moment before pressing her lips together and nodding.

"Okay," she said softly. Claire sighed and looked to Spike.

"Get Doctor McCoy, we're ready to deliver." Spike nodded and left the room, while Claire walked over and tied her hair back and put on a pair of gloves.

"Is my baby going to be alright?" Samantha asked. Claire frowned when she realized she had scared the woman.

"I'm sure it will be, I just need to get it out of there as soon as possible," Claire told her. Samantha nodded and placed a hand on her stomach.

"Okay… I don't want my baby to be hurt, not after trying for so long," she said.

"Samantha… why didn't you transfer to a station? It would be much safer for the baby," Claire said, sitting in front of the woman and getting ready to deliver the baby.

"Kevin has wanted to work on the _Enterprise_ for the longest time. If we transferred, there was a very good chance that he wasn't coming back here. I can't do that to him, not after he had worked so hard." Claire gave a nod and sighed heavily.

"I suppose I understand, I guess. I don't understand risking my health for something like that," Claire mumbled. Samantha shook her head and shot Claire a look.

"You can't understand something like that unless you are married," Samantha told her. She paused for a second and gave a loud cry of anguish while gripping the side of the bed. Claire placed her hand on hers, and waited till the contraction was over.

"It's alright, it's over. Just breathe," Claire coached. The doors opened and McCoy walked into the room, a pair of gloves on and a scanner.

"We ready to deliver?" he asked. Before anyone could reply, Kevin Fisher ran into the room and walked over to his wife.

"Sam!" he cried.

"Kevin! I thought you weren't going to make it!" she said, tears in her eyes. Kevin took a hold of her hand and leaned down to give her a kiss.

"I'm sorry, I'm here now. I'm never going to leave you ever again," he told her. Claire felt her heart clench at the sight, but brushed it off as she looked at McCoy.

"We're ready," she said. McCoy nodded and pulled out his scanner.

"Begin." Claire took a deep breath and looked up at the older woman.

"Samantha, when the next contraction hits, I need you to push," she said. Samantha nodded and grabbed a hold of her husbands hand. She took a deep breath and let out a loud scream. Claire waited but shook her head.

"Nothing, I need you to keep pushing Samantha. Push!" Claire ordered. Samantha shot her a dirty look but did as she was told.

"Come on sweetie, just push!" Kevin told her.

"I am pushing! You push!" She snapped. Claire shot a look at McCoy, who simply chuckled and shook his head.

"I can see it's head, one more push Samantha!" Claire said. Samantha gave a loud cry and gripped her husbands hands. Claire took hold of the baby before it fell and used a medical tool to get all the gunk out of the small baby's throat. When she had done that, she gave it a small smack on the bottom, causing it to cry out. McCoy walked over to her and gently moved her aside.

"Here, I'll do the rest," he said. Claire nodded and wrapped the baby in a cloth and walked over to Samantha.

"Congratulations, you have a baby boy," she said, placing the boy in Samantha's arms. Samantha began to cry as she looked down at the child and Kevin let a few tears slip down his cheeks.

"Oh my God… Kevin, look at him. He's ours… we made this!" She said. Kevin nodded and placed a hand on his sons head.

"He's beautiful…" Claire smiled and took a step toward them.

"Here, I'm going to get him cleaned up. Do you have a name?" Claire asked. Samantha and Kevin exchanged looks before Samantha looked at him.

"Kevin James Fisher Junior," she stated firmly. Claire smiled and grabbed the baby.

"I'll have him back as soon as he's cleaned up," she told them. They nodded and Claire took the baby into another room. She grabbed a washcloth as the small sink began to fill up and she smiled at the small infant.

"Welcome to the world…"

* * *

Ryan took a bite out of his dinner and watched as Anna and Liam walked into the dinning hall. They quickly got their food before walking over and sitting at the table.

"Hey, how's the hangover?" he asked.

"Much better, that hangover cure is fantastic," Anna said. Liam nodded and looked over at Rupert as he sat down with Alex.

"Hello all," Alex said taking a sip of his drink.

"So, it seems that you guys and Claire had fun last night," Rupert said.

"Oh, so much fun. I have never drank so much in one night. It was fun though," Liam said. Ryan chuckled.

"Yeah, you guys were a mess when you came back. Anna pretty much fell over as soon as she got into the room," Ryan said, shooting a look at his girlfriend.

"Not half as bad as Claire. I almost felt bad for leaving her with Jim," Liam said, frowning a little. Ryan shrugged and shot Jim a look, who was over a couple tables.

"Well, if he can deal with her when she's drunk, he must really love her." Anna rolled her eyes and took another bite of her dinner.

"Where is Claire?" she asked.

"Samantha Fisher just gave birth to a son, Claire is staying to make sure both of them are alright." Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Wow, the first baby born on the _Enterprise_, Claire must be so excited." Alex nodded and quickly finished his dinner up.

"Yeah, I actually better go help her out." The table said their goodbyes and there was a silence for a moment.

"Wow… are we seriously getting to that age where kids are coming around?" Rupert asked. Liam shrugged.

"I suppose… my parents didn't have me till they were in their thirties," he pointed out.

"Your parents weren't on a starship though. Things are different on here. When you're in a serious relationship, you tend to move things faster than you normally would," Anna reminded them.

"Yeah, I mean… any day could be your last, might as well do what you can. If you love someone and want to marry them, do it now before you can't," Rupert added. Ryan took a glance at Anna, who was nodding in agreement. He knew better than anyone at the table how quickly things could change on this ship.

"I suppose it depends on the people and what they want in life, or what happens to be thrown at them," Ryan muttered. Anna nodded and locked eyes with him.

"Ain't that the truth…"

* * *

Jim gave a small yawn as he made his way to the lift. He had pretty much kept himself busy all day, but in doing so, he had missed the opportunity to stop by sickbay and see the new baby, and his girlfriend. He was patiently waiting for the lift when someone stood next to him, his hair a mess and his shirt disheveled. He was also tapping his fingers against his leg and seemed impatient.

"You alright ensign?" Jim asked. The man looked over and nodded.

"Oh, yeah… I'm just… anxious, sir. My son was born today, I'm a little all over the place," he confessed. Jim nodded and smiled at the man.

"You must be Kevin Fisher, congratulations on the new baby," Jim said. Kevin smiled widely and entered the lift with the captain.

"Thank you sir. I'm so excited. I was down in sickbay, but I had to check in with work and now I have to change my clothes, doctors orders," Kevin said. Jim nodded.

"McCoy?" He asked.

"No, Conaway. Man, she's a nice lady and all, but she's strict…" Kevin muttered. Jim chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, she's stubborn, that's for sure…" Kevin nodded and sighed.

"I'm trying to get everything done as quick as possible. I just can't wait to get back down there and hold my kid. Samantha should be sleeping by now." Jim nodded, though he couldn't say he really could get into the conversation.

"So… you're excited?" Jim asked.

"Of course! I'm a new dad!"

"Yeah, but now you have months of staying up all night taking care of a kid who only eats, sleeps, and poops. That's… exciting?" Jim asked. Kevin shook his head and looked at the captain.

"Sir, with all due respect, you won't know the feeling, until you have a child. There is nothing like looking down at the kid and knowing you and the woman you are head over heals in love with made that. It's… crazy," Kevin said. The door stopped and Kevin looked back at the captain.

"Your stop?" Jim asked. Kevin nodded.

"For now, thank you for the conversation sir," Kevin said politely. Jim gave a nod and waited for the doors to close. He briefly wondered what his reaction would be if he saw his own children being born. Of course, he wasn't expecting that to be anytime soon, but one day he wanted to see it. Despite the fact of being a major playboy before Claire, he always let the idea of a child linger in his head. By no means did he see himself as father material, but he liked the idea of someone looking up to you no matter what.

Before, it was just a nice thought, a family and kids. Now, it seemed quite possible. He and Claire were already living together, and taking care of Rocky, who was much of a child himself. His thoughts drifted back to the ring now hidden in his room. Was he ready to get married? Settle down? Sure, Claire was a wonderful girl, and he loved her, but marriage was a big step. Hell, having a kid was a big step. He wasn't so sure he could have taken it.

The doors opened and he made his way out of the lift and toward sickbay, trying to banish his previous thoughts out of his head. It proved to be in vain, however, when he walked into sickbay and saw Claire walk over and pick up a small baby who was screaming.

"What's wrong? Hmm? What's wrong baby?" She asked, holding him in her arms and rocking him slightly. Samantha was currently laying in bed sleeping, leaving Claire alone to take care of the child. Jim stood next to the door and simply watched his girlfriend hold the child close and rock him, while humming.

"Shh, it's okay. You hungry? Huh?" Claire asked, grabbing a bottle and feeding the small infant. Claire smiled at him as he began to greedily gulp the formula down and lightly chuckled.

"Much better." The sight made his heart clench a small smile made it's way to his lips. He walked up to her, causing her grey eyes to leave the child and meet her boyfriend.

"Hey, having fun?" he asked. Claire laughed and rocked the baby slightly.

"Tons of fun, I love baby-sitting all day," she replied, sitting on a chair. Jim sat next to her and shook his head.

"I bet…" Claire shrugged and looked back down to the baby.

"It's not so bad… I mean look how cute he is!" she said. Jim nodded absent mindedly and continued to stare at the child.

"Yeah… I guess he's a little cute," Jim agreed. Claire pulled the bottle away from the infant and placed him in Jim's arms.

"Here, I need you to hold him for a minute," she said, standing up.

"Wait, Claire, I don't know if I can-"

"Jim, it's alright. You're doing fine." Jim didn't have another moment to object before she walked away, leaving him alone to watch over the child. He rolled his eyes before looking down at the small kid and smiling lightly. He could not deny the kid was cute, and as the baby's blue eyes looked up at him in wonder, he couldn't help but wish it were his kid looking back at him.

"Here, thanks for holding him," Claire said, grabbing the boy and bringing him over to his crib. Jim stood up and followed behind her, but stopped a good few feet away.

"So, did you have dinner yet?" Jim asked. Claire tucked the baby in before walking up to Jim and shrugging.

"I had a small bag of chips, but I didn't have much time to eat. Why, are you going to make me dinner?" She asked. Jim smirked and placed his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"Well, if you meet me back in my room, I would be happy to make you a six course meal." Claire chuckled and placed her lips on his.

"As lovely as that sounds, I need to stay here tonight," she admitted. He sighed and kissed her deeply.

"I guess I can let this one slide… you owe me though," he told her. She giggled and nodded.

"Definitely…" He sighed and let his forehead rest against hers, and let the peace of sickbay fill the air.

"Claire…" She looked up at him.

"Hmm?" He paused before pulling away slightly, but still kept his arms around her.

"You think we're too young to start a family?" he asked. Claire turned a little pale and just stared at him. Sure she loved him, but she still had a major fear of settling down. Would she be just like her mother?

"I don't know… are you thinking of starting one?" she asked. Jim shook his head and placed a hand on her cheek.

"No, no… I was just wondering. I mean, it seemed like some many others were starting a family around us, I just didn't know if we should be doing the same thing… like a normal couple…" Claire laughed and kissed him.

"Jim… nothing about us is normal." Jim laughed and nodded.

"True…" Claire sighed and looked down.

"Look… if you really did want to start a family… or whatever, I'd… be on board with it. I love you and want to make you happy. Does that mean I want to get married tomorrow? No. But, in the future, yeah… of course. Just… be sure you're ready to take the plunge…" Jim nodded and kissed her deeply, pressing her against the medical station.

"Doctor Conaway," A voice called. Both Claire and Jim broke away to see Sophie staring back up at them. Jim broke away from Claire and frowned at the other woman.

"Uh… yes?" Claire asked, he face turning red.

"Samantha Fisher would like to see you…" Sophie said. Claire nodded and kissed Jim on the cheek.

"I'll be home later…" Jim nodded and forced a smile.

"I'll see you then."

* * *

"Hey… Wait up!" A voice called Anna stopped the lift just in time for Alex to slide in. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"You're coming in a little late…" she noted. Alex shrugged and pressed his floor.

"I was going to help Claire through the night, but she said she would be fine, so she sent me to bed." Anna chuckled and nodded her head.

"Yeah, sounds like Claire." The two of them stood in silence for a moment.

"Can you believe the Fishers are going to raise their kid on the _Enterprise_?" he asked. Anna shrugged and looked up at him.

"It's what they want to do, I don't see the problem with it," she commented.

"You don't see the problem with a ton of kids running around a ship that sees combat on a weekly bases?" he asked.

"I'm not saying it's the smartest thing in the world… just that it happens. I mean, as long as you know what you know what you are doing and you take precautions. I don't think it's as dangerous as people make it out to be." Alex shrugged.

"I guess it depends on your point of view…" He suggested. Anna nodded and leaned against the wall.

"I don't know… I think, personally, if I got pregnant, I'd transfer to a space station," she confessed.

"I'd transfer to the academy. I'd teach or something," Alex stated firmly.

"You think Liam would follow your example?" Anna inquired. Alex paused before letting out a deep sigh.

"I don't know. Nor do I know if I'll ever need to worry about what Liam wants to do in a situation like that." Anna frowned and put a hand on his shoulder.

"He'll come back to you, we know he will."

"Well, until then, I've got bigger things to worry about. I'll see you later." Anna nodded and watching him leave the lift. She gave a heavy sigh and waited for her floor.

"People are freaking crazy on this damn ship…"

* * *

Jim gave a small groan as he rolled over and cuddled next to a warm body. Claire instinctively snuggled back as he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. Claire knew that they both had to get up, but it had been almost two weeks since they had both had a decent night's sleep, or even slept together for that matter, and they both were soaking it in.

Jim pulled her closer to him and smiled at how her body fit perfectly with his. It always had, and it seemed like it always would. He had missed these morning hours, though he would never admit it. The moment where they were both awake, but didn't want to leave the comfort of each others arms. He had never had anything like that till now, and he enjoyed it quite a bit. Claire sighed and turned around in his arms so she was facing him.

"Morning," she said, letting her hand come up and caress his cheek.

"Morning… you enjoy sleeping?" Jim asked, a small smirk on his lips. Claire rolled her eyes and moved closer to him.

"Well, I don't think we can actually call that sleeping… but yes, it was nice to spend a night with you for a change." He smiled and leaned down and kissed her. Claire smiled into the kiss and eagerly kissed back. His hands traced lower, one cupping her behind, and the other lifting her leg to drape over his thigh. He pulled away and let out a small breath, causing her to freeze.

Normally, she didn't mind his morning breath, he always made sure to brush his teeth the night before, and usually had a faint mint scent in the morning. Today, however, the sickly sweet mint caused her stomach to lurch. She quickly untangled herself from his arms and ran for the bathroom, only to crouch over and empty all of the contents of her stomach into the toilet.

"Claire?" Jim's voice called. Claire ignored it a she continued to throw up her previous nights dinner. After a few more moments of dry heaving, she wiped her mouth, took a swig of mouth wash, and opened the bathroom door. Immediately Jim placed a hand on her cheek, and another on her forehead.

"You alright? What's wrong?" he asked. She shook her head and attempted to smile.

"Nothing, you're breath just made my stomach upset is all." Jim raised an eyebrow.

"My breath?" he asked. Claire sighed and kissed his cheek.

"I'm fine, I do need to get ready for work. Would you like to join me in the shower?" she asked, a small smile on her face. Jim chuckled and pulled her closer.

"Is that even a question?"

* * *

Anna turned over in her bed and was greeted with a cold side of the bed. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes to see the room was empty except for her. Ryan's normal sleepwear was on the floor by their bed and their closest was open, relieving a missing uniform. Anna sighed and turned to look at the clock. The big red numbers blinked back at her that she still had another two hours before she needed to report to work.

"I should get up…" Anna mumbled to herself. However, she closed her heavy eyelids and returned to her precious slumber. Sleep was becoming a rarity on the _Enterprise_, but they tried when they could. And right now, she was content with remaining in dreamland for at least another hour.

* * *

"You're here early," Rupert pointed out as he entered the security deck. Ryan was at his desk, looking over numerous reports. He barely acknowledged his best friend's entrance as his eyes traced every inch of the papers before him.

"Mmm…" He replied dryly. Rupert placed a coffee cup next to the distracted man and took a seat, but Ryan didn't even notice it.

"What're you up to?" Rupert asked, trying to get Ryan to talk. Finally, Ryan pulled his eyes away from the report and locked eyes with the British man.

"This whole Fisher thing has sent the ship in chaos. We have a baby on the _Enterprise_. A family. And with people like Riley and Griffin out there, we're not safe. Security needs to be the best it can be," Ryan explained tiredly, grabbing the untouched cup of coffee. Rupert nodded and leaned back into his chair.

"Every time someone mentions anything about families and the Fishers, you get this look in your eyes. This is about Colleen, isn't it?" He asked. Ryan paused mid-sip and placed the coffee down.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he snapped, quickly masking his feelings.

"Oh yes you do, don't lie. You're afraid that everyone in love who are trying to have a baby is going to end up like you two," Rupert pointed out. Ryan tightened his hands into fists and slammed them down on the table, startling his best friend.

"Rupert, shut up. I forgave you, but I don't appreciate you talking about my ex-fiancée. At all. Because the family I wanted to start with her was a lie. It was your little parasite in her stomach, not mine," he snapped, the volume of his voice raising with each word. Rupert could see the pain in his eyes, but he knew Ryan needed to talk about it. There were things that hadn't been addressed that the head of security needed to sort out in his own mind.

"Parasite? You've been talking with Claire too much about babies," Rupert added, trying to bring a little humor into the conversation to soothe Ryan's rage.

"That's not the point. If the Fishers or Claire or anyone else on this ship wants to raise a child here, I want to make sure that it's as safe as we can make it," he stated, gesturing to the files on his desk.

"You and Anna thinking about kids?" Rupert asked, waiting a moment to ask his question.

"What? No… I mean, it's too soon," Ryan answered hurriedly.

"It wasn't too soon for you and-" Ryan grabbed his coffee and his fingers pierced the Styrofoam cup.

"Stop, just stop now!' He cried out.

"Fine, but I know you want it. I'm your best friend and I see things Ryan. And I know you want to start a family with your girl. And personally, I think you should." Ryan shot him a look and looked down at the mess of coffee.

"It's not that simple. Anna isn't looking for a kid anytime soon, and even if she was, she would want to get married before she had a child. I don't know if I want to get married right now, not after… that," Ryan explained. Rupert shrugged and helped him clean it up before shaking his head and standing up.

"Do what you have to do man, but don't let it keep you from doing what you want to do." Ryan didn't answer him as his best friend stood up and left. He knew Rupert was right. He wanted a family so bad. He wanted to do what his parents had failed to do, but it wasn't so simple. After Colleen he realized that you could never be too sure about these things. It was a big gamble trying to start a family, and he wasn't sure he was ready, not now.

Ryan gave another sigh and went back to his paperwork. Only time would tell.

* * *

Liam raised an eyebrow as Claire exited the sickbay bathroom for the third time this morning. She walked up to the desk and took a deep breath, making sure her stomach was fully calmed.

"Claire, you okay?" he asked. She looked at him and nodded.

"Yeah, just fine. I think I caught a bug or something," she confessed. Liam looked a little unsure but shrugged.

"Okay, you know that some ensign from communications is looking for you, right?" he asked. She shook her head and moved so she was a bit closer to her.

"No, why is she looking for me?" Claire asked.

"Apparently, you were the one who checked Samantha Fisher in right before she got pregnant. She's hoping you'll work your magic touch on her." Claire rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"You know, I will never understand the need for a woman to be pregnant." Alex, who had just walked over, raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, you mean to tell us you've never have thought about having kids?" he inquired. Claire thought it over for a moment before giving a shrug.

"I can't say I haven't. I mean, I guess everyone woman has at least thought about it, but I would never try to get pregnant. If it happens it happens, but I'm not going to go all out for it. Pregnancy is just… ugh." Claire shuddered and shook her head.

"Oh yes, a baby is a parasite. We remember that argument," Liam muttered.

"Just until it is born. After it's born it's cute and not so bad. But in the womb, it's just… do you know what happens to a woman's vagina after she gives birth naturally? It's not a pretty thing, let me tell you. As soon as I recovered after giving birth, I'd do everything in my power to make sure it was as good as new." Alex raised an eyebrow.

"You can do that?" he asked.

"Of course, they have drugs for that now. Just a few hypo sprays and you're set," Liam explained. Alex looked shocked before laughing.

"Wow… gotta love modern science," he muttered. Claire was about to speak, but stopped and covered her mouth. Both men went to say something, but she quickly ran off into the bathroom and began to heave, though there wasn't much left in her stomach. After a few minutes, she came out and took a sip of water.

"Okay, you need someone to look at you, Alex, can you do it?" Liam asked. Alex shot him a look but walked over to Claire.

"I'm fine, just not feeling too well," she snapped.

"Come on, let me just scan over you and then you can get back to work." Claire rolled her eyes but sat on a bed and pulled the curtains, not wanting any of the other doctors to see her.

"This is ridiculous, I'm fine," Claire muttered, watching as Alex began to scan her over.

"Well, you are running a mild fever. Maybe you really are sick," he offered as he continued his scan.

"I'm telling you, it's nothing. I'm pretty sure I know my own body. Maybe a small cold, but that's it. I'm working too hard." Alex nodded but suddenly stopped, and his eyes went wide, causing Claire to raise an eyebrow.

"Wow…" Alex muttered. Claire looked at him and tried to meet his eyes.

"Wow what? What is it? Am I dying or something?" she asked. Alex shook his head and took a deep breath before looking up at her.

"No, you're not dying…"

"Okay, well what is it?" Claire asked. Alex sighed and gave a small smile at his best friend.

"You have a parasite in you," he told her. She furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she asked. He chuckled and showed her his scanner, watching as his eyes went wide.

"Believe it or not, you're pregnant." Claire took the scanned and ran it once more and then began to mess with it.

"No, I'm not pregnant," she mumbled.

"Yes you are. Seems like you're going to have the joy of carrying a parasite after all," Alex said, now laughing. Claire looked up at him and glared at him.

"Alex, I am not pregnant." Alex shook his head.

"Oh yes you are. You just can't deal with the irony of it," he told her.

"No, I can't be pregnant. I'm on the birth control shot, it lasts for six months. The only way it could fail is if I was using other drugs, but I haven't so the shot is still in effect," she explained. Alex grabbed her medical chart and looked over it before shaking his head and handing it to her.

"Your shot ran out two months ago. We were so busy with everything else going on, we never checked out own files for shots when we were doing check-ups." Claire read it over and her face went pale.

"I have been having sex without my shot for two months?" she asked, her eye wide. Alex nodded and looked at his scan once more.

"Yeah, but you're only about a month along," he assured her. Claire dropped her file and looked up at her best friend.

"This means…" Alex nodded and smiled.

"Yup, you're actually pregnant." Claire stared at him for a long moment, and then everything went black.

* * *

"She's what?" The voice was far away and slightly blurred, but Claire could register the voice of McCoy. How could she not? He was only yelling at her for about half of her shift everyday.

"I did the scan and even printed out the diagnoses. She's definitely pregnant. When I told her, she passed out," another voice said, this one sounded clearer and closer. It was Alex. She could feel herself regaining completely consciousness, but kept her eyes closed.

"It must be the shock. Alright, we should probably call Jim and Ryan to inform them of the situation," McCoy said. Claire choose that moment to open her eyes and shot forward in bed. The thought of Jim and Ryan finding out about the baby wasn't something Claire wanted to be done by McCoy or Alex. If anyone was going to tell Ryan that he was going to be uncle, it was most definitely going to be her. And the only person to be telling Jim that he was a father was going to be the mother of his child.

"No, don't tell them yet." McCoy looked over and was about to yell at her, but stopped when she grabbed a basket and threw up in it from sitting up so fast.

"Conaway…" he said, his tone full of warning. She took a deep breath and focused herself.

"Don't tell Jim, or Ryan," she told them. Alex walked over and gave her a hypo spray, making sure the nausea was settled.

"Conaway, Jim has every right to know about you being pregnant, and so does your brother." Claire nodded.

"I agree… but I don't want him to hear it from you." McCoy walked up to her and looked down at her.

"Claire, if you are going to… take care of this, Jim should know immediately," he told her. Claire went a little pale and shot him a look.

"I'm not taking care of the… fetus, or embryo at this point. I just, I want to tell Jim when I am ready, when it's a right time."

"What about Ryan? When are you going to tell him?" Alex asked. Claire pressed her lips together and ran a hand through her hair.

"After I tell Jim…" she said. Alex nodded and McCoy sighed.

"Well, I hope this won't effect your work," he muttered, turning around and leaving.

"He has such a one track mind," Claire muttered. Alex nodded and wrote a few things on her chart.

"Tell me about it."

* * *

Ryan sat down next to Anna, who was taking a large sip of water.

"Hey, you were up early this morning," she noted. Ryan nodded and offered her a smile.

"Yeah, sorry. Had some extra work to do, and I wanted to at least go to sleep with you last night," he confessed. Anna smiled and gave him a peck on the lips.

"Aww, how disgustingly cute!" Liam cried, sitting across from them. Claire sat next to him, with what looked to be a small mountain of mashed potatoes and melted cheese on her plate, and a side of crackers.

"You get enough potatoes Claire?" Anna asked.

"Or cheese? I thought you hated wiz cheese and mashed potatoes?" Ryan asked. Claire shrugged and added some bacon to her small mountain.

"Now, it's not just for cheese fries," she told him. Rupert chuckled and showed her his plate, which was just a simple steak and eggs.

"You want to add this too?" he asked. Claire caught a whiff of the eggs and almost gagged.

"God no, get that nasty crap away from me," she told him. Liam and Rupert laughed, while Anna shook her head.

"So, have you heard from the Fishers?" Anna asked. Claire swallowed some of her lunch and shook her head.

"No, I know their son is in for a check-up next week, but that's about it," Claire explained. The rest of the table watched as she practically inhaled all the food on her plate. Ryan merely raised an eyebrow at his sister's behavior. Sure, weirder things had happened to them on the _Enterprise_, which was just a good reason as any to keep an eye on her. The last thing they needed was her possessed by some she-demon.

"Whatcha thinking about, Ry?" Claire asked, diverting all the attention away from her. Ryan shrugged as he picked up one of his two burritos.

"Nothing, just some reports I need to go over later," he told her. Rupert almost smirked at his comment, but forced himself not to. If Ryan wanted to talk about it, he would.

"This is lunch, Ryan. Not work. And if they're so important, you and I can go over them together later," Anna suggested, picking up her cheeseburger. Ryan shrugged and took a bite of his burrito.

"Naw, they're pretty boring. I wouldn't put you through that," he told her through his mouthful of food. Anna nodded, thinking nothing of it, but Claire decided to push the subject as she picked up a piece of bread with ketchup spread across it.

"Then why are you thinking about these boring reports when your hot and sexy girlfriend is sitting here?" She asked. Rupert dabbed at his face with his napkin before turning to Ryan.

"She's got you there, Ryan," he pointed out, a knowing look on his face. Ryan felt his anger start to increase at the smug look on his best friend's face.

"I'm the fucking head of security! You think it's all rainbows and unicorns? There's a lot of work that I have to do, okay? Can we just drop it now?" He snapped. Silence fell over the table as everyone stopped their eating to look at Ryan. Well, with the exception of Claire who continued to dig into her meal, dipping a pickle from her tray into a tiny cup of mayonnaise.

"Claire, that's really disgusting," Liam said after a few minutes of silence.

* * *

"Nice place you got here," Claire said. Ryan looked up from his work to see his sister walking into his office and taking a seat at his desk.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. Claire moved the second chair in his office to put her feet up and continued to look around.

"You know, I've never been in your office. Not long enough to really look around. Makes me wish I had an office," she told him. Ryan sighed and shook his head.

"Claire…" His sister looked down then looked back at him. She was going to tell Jim about the baby first, but after seeing her brother, she wanted to talk to him. She wanted to know he was alright with her having this child, that he was alright with Jim being the father, that he was alright in general.

"I cam to talk to you about something, but I think we need to talk." Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" he asked. Claire picked up how harsh her brother was, but just brushed it off.

"What's wrong Ryan? You've been acting funny all day," she said softly.

"I'm fine, except for people who keep asking me if something is wrong," he snapped. Claire seemed un-phased and brought her knees to her chest.

"They usually ask because they know something is wrong," she reminded him. Ryan sighed and ran a hand through his hair. After a minute he looked at his sister.

"It just seems like everyone around me is having kids, or getting married…" Claire raised an eyebrow.

"Getting married? Who the hell is getting married?"

"Patrick Rider and Elaine Sweden, they are in the science department." Claire furrowed her eyebrows and sighed.

"I need to get out of sickbay," she muttered.

"Well, when you're not in sickbay, you're with Jim. That's not the point, the point is that everyone around me is starting a family. I should be the one with a family…" he cried. Claire sighed and leaned forward, taking his hand in hers.

"Ryan, you still can have a family, with Anna." He shook his head and sighed.

"It's not that simple. What if that was a one time thing? I mean, all the shit I've been through, what if I can't have kids? Or what if she doesn't want kids? I don't know if I want to get married, especially since Anna won't have kids until she is married." Claire took a minute to process everything before shrugging.

"You won't know until you find out," She told him.

"Words of wisdom, Claire." She chuckled and shrugged.

"Not much to say. If you want to do something, do it. Don't let past experiences get in the way, just go for it." Ryan sighed and smiled at his sister.

"Thanks, I don't know if it helped, but it was nice to actually talk to you," he said.

"It was nice to talk to you too." He nodded and then furrowed his eyebrows.

"You said you had something to tell me, what was it?" Claire pressed her lips together. After that conversation, she wasn't sure she wanted to tell him that she was starting her own family. It probably wasn't the best idea.

"It's not important, don't worry about it."

* * *

_REVIEW REPLY TIME! BREAK OUT THE BOOZE!_

_**X-Panic  
**__**Jeck: **__I love cliffhangers. Okay no, that's a lie. I hate them too. Let me rephrase that… I love writing cliffhangers. Mawhahahaha. I'm evil. But like every Sunday so far, we're here to deliver.  
__**Raxsah: **__Possessive Jim doesn't come out too much, surprisingly. I think this is honestly the second time he's really come out. (Hahahaa, that sounded wrong). Anyway, sorry for the Cliffhanger, I hate them too. But I love them too, it keeps me going until next chapter. _

_**nickiR0x  
**__**Raxsah: **__How devastated would Ryan be? Oh wait… yeah no, we wouldn't do that to him. Kill Anna? Never. We have a rule that we don't kill more than one lover of a main character. However, it's fun to tease. Didn't mean to scare you though. We sorry.  
__**Jeck: **__Hate us? I bet this chapter was a nice little relief. We're so evil, making you think so a whole week that Anna was dead. We actually like her, we're not gonna kill her. But messing with people is nice. Perhaps you can forgive us?_

_**Yayyou  
**__**Jeck: **__That's a little random right there. lol I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself. But I still enjoyed the review!  
__**Raxsah: **__Married? Why does everyone think they are going to get married? Well… I think this chapter might be just as good… maybe. We shall see._

_**Allimba  
**__**Raxsah: **__She shall be reincarnated in the form of a space alien. Hahahahaa, just kidding. We brought her back. We're not that evil… this week.  
__**Jeck: **__ZOMBIE ANNA FOR HALLOWEEN! Ehhh… not quite. But I likes the zombiez! :D And I'm absolutely glad you like our story!_

_**Lintered  
**__**Jeck: **__No harm done. Trust me, we know a thing or two about that. And anything that's not related to doing schoolwork is good in my book. I'd rather do laundry or wash dishes… but I mostly just nap. Anyway, miracles don't just happen! Oh wait… yes they do. Anna isn't dead. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__School work sucks. I just do what is necessary to move on and leave it at that. No we didn't kill Anna. We like her too much. She keeps Ryan in line, which saves us the trouble of doing it ourselves. XP_

_**SWfangirl21  
**__**Raxsah: **__We're glad you loved our birthday wishes. And thank you for the review, I love waking up and getting it on my iPod, it makes me smile. Alex and Liam are amazing. Believe it or not, they were meant to be together as a joke, little did we know that they would be one of our favorite couples. Now, if we just put them together now, how else would we create more drama? I have never been in a hospital, but from what I've heard, it sucks. Poor Anna, don't worry. She's back and better than ever! Ryan just needs someone to hold the poor guy and tell him it's okay. Then tell him to suck it up and move on. Oh wait… that's Anna's job. Hmm… good thing we didn't kill her. Pesky older brothers. It was a nice contrast from Claire's brother. And his mom is awesome, I just pictured she always would be a kick ass mom. Don't know why. I'm very glad our story doesn't suck balls, seeing as we're both aspiring writers. I think that would be a set back in our careers. Gum is good. Maybe we should hide McCoy's liquor. Hmm, no that would not be good. Oh well, this is his transition period before the Five year mission, where he is kick ass. Claire wouldn't let Ryan commit suicide, she would kill him before that happened. Hahahahaa. Sadly I don't think Antonio comes back, he was just a character to kinda introduce Anna's family a bit. Review soon please!  
__**Jeck: **__I would never deny it! It just isn't a good week without a long as review from you! :D Yes, Liam and Alex are my favorite couple in this story too. But isn't it all the drama that help you appreciate a couple? Or maybe I'm just crazy… I can relate to the poking and poor hospital food… I have a new sense of pity for Anna in the hospital. But it's all better now that Anna isn't dead anymore! Honestly, you guys have little faith in us. Although, we have killed off Ryan's squeezes before… hmmm… perhaps I shouldn't trust me anymore? He can have two hugs and I'll have the lollipop. Only if it's cherry though. :3 Well yeah, Jim's brother was supposed to be the creep. I mean, drama? We're good at it. ;D Or at least, we like to pretend we are. Jim and Claire pretty much have the spotlight in this story, so we wanted to make them real, lovable, hot, etc. And it seems like we did a good job at it too. Yeah, McCoy does have his issues. But we're kind of looking at it from Claire's view and honestly, who likes their boss? I didn't. But yeah, McCoy needs a woman who doesn't steal everything from him. Mr. Ruffles does a lot of things that no one knows about… not even us! O.o Yeah, I'm pretty sure Ryan would've just walked off the ship into space if we really killed Anna off. We're evil bitches like that. Well, Raxsah is the bitch. I'm the butch. But not in the scissoring kind of way. His plan will reveal itself in time… MAWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I likes the evil laugh. ZOMBIE SEX FACE ALL THE WAY! :D_

_**Raxsah: **__Jeck, these people actually thought we were going to kill off Anna!  
__**Jeck: **__We weren't? I mean, of course we wouldn't! Ha ha… yeah… anyway, we wouldn't do that to you! She doesn't piss us off like Colleen did.  
__**Raxsah: **__No, she doesn't. She makes sure Ryan doesn't piss us off, which is good before there have been times where sending him to a distant planet sounded like a good idea. Whining baby.  
__**Jeck: **__Is that why…? No wait, I'm not gonna ask that. Then it'll spoil the ending. :3 I like to tease.  
__**Raxsah: **__Hahahaa, yes, let's not give too much away. Anyway, thanks for reading. I'm sure we'll get a lot of shit for this one too. Just saying. People have been asking for this for a while. Hahahhaaa  
__**Jeck: **__Why would we get shit? Isn't this what people want? Shouldn't they be throwing money, candy, and babies at us?  
__**Raxsah: **__This is truth. However, they can keep the babies, that's only for marching band.  
__**Jeck: **__Good plan. So, I think we should start wrapping this up. My Chex Mix is all gone and we've got another little project that's taking our focus right now. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__This is truth. Don't be afraid to review, seven more reviews until we get our next short story! Hurry up kiddies! Till next time!  
__**Jeck: **__ZOMBIE SEX FACE! :D_


	25. What the Heart Wants

_**Jeck: **__Wait… this isn't Sunday?  
__**Raxsah: **__No, not it is not. However, due to future conflicts, Sunday is not working out. And posting sooner is better rather than later.  
__**Jeck: **__I am having surgery tomorrow for my gallbladder and Sunday I will be returning home to my Raxsah! :D  
__**Raxsah: **__YAY! All will be right in the world again. So, I have finally counted out the chapters, yay for me. And after this, it's only two till the Epilogue. It's official, I counted it!  
__**Jeck: **__I was not here for the counting of this. But I believe her. The epilogue is going to be LONG! Mad long!  
__**Raxsah: **__Like, it could probably be it's own story long. But we didn't want to leave anything open for a sequel. Believe us, other than side stories, we are done with this story.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, we're SOOOOO done. But we will be doing a side story for SWfangirl21 who was our 100th__ reviewer! YAY!  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, if she ever get's back to us with what she wants. Hahahaaa, Anyway, we still have the most reviewed so keep reviewing away! Only a couple more chapters left since we're not including the epilogue for the counting.  
__**Jeck: **__And currently, the two people who reviewed the most aren't being counted in the running. Third is tied between three people, so we'll see what happens. Your reviews will make me happy while I'm recovering from surgery. And they'll just make Raxsah happy in general.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, Reviews brighten my day which, as of recently, has been drowned in homework and bullshit. So please, make me happier. Lol. Anyway, No warnings for this chapter, to be honest, I think this was one of our last ideas type of thing. I think it coulda been funnier, but we just wanted the story to be done at this point. Hahahaaaa.  
__**Jeck: **__We're still in that whole throwing all our ideas into the story all at one time. But we're winding down now.  
__**Raxsah: **__I know. I'm almost sad to see it done… almost. It's almost a relief. I will miss the many reviews and pissing people off with the horrible cliffhangers.  
__**Jeck: **__Like this chapter? Yes. Mawhahahahahahaha!  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, we are mean. Another cliffhanger. Hopefully it's not as bad as last time. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Hahahaahahahaaaa  
__**Jeck: **__Read on and be angered. Mawhahahahahahahahaha!_

**

* * *

**

Chapter 25: What the Heart Wants

* * *

Ryan closed his final report and leaned backwards in his chair. He'd been finding it harder and harder to concentrate since Claire left his office earlier in the evening. He wanted to talk to Anna about perhaps starting a family and getting married. He wanted to, but he was finding it difficult to face his fears. No feelings remained for her, but Ryan couldn't get his mind off Colleen. The home wrecking bitch.

"Ryan, just the man I was looking for!" Jim greeted as he walked into his officer. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Now why would you want to see me?"

"I just received a call from the engineering deck and I want you to come take a look at some signal they've picked up with me. If it's dangerous, I'm going to need the chief of security there with me," Jim explained. Ryan nodded and jumped up from his desk, grabbing his belt containing his phaser. Jim led him out of the room and they traveled in complete silence through the semi-crowded halls of the _Enterprise_. Finally, they reached the engineering deck. Rupert and Oliver were standing next to Scotty who bore a solemn look on his face.

"What's all this about?" Ryan asked. Scotty furrowed his eyebrows.

"Surprisingly, Oliver stumbled across a message from a space trader. Apparently, two men stopped by his business earlier in the week. One went by the name of Riley and the other Griffin. This trader sent us coordinates of his location," Scotty explained. Both Jim and Ryan felt their hearts ache at his words. The two men exchanged looks, noting the same look of pain held behind the grey and blue sets of eyes.

"It might be a trap," Ryan offered. Jim nodded.

"I thought so too, but if we proceed with caution, we might stumble upon the whereabouts of them," Jim pointed out. Ryan nodded.

"We'll proceed with caution then. Inform the trader that we'll meet him in a different location. I want the area we meet in to be a neutral zone," Ryan ordered. Oliver shot his hand in the arm, waving it like a child in the classroom. Scotty turned to his fellow engineer.

"Oliver, we do not raise our hand in front of the captain or chief of security. Speak like a real man," he ordered. Oliver nodded.

"The trader gave us orders to meet him at his location. He has good business in the area," he informed them. Ryan folded his arms as Jim scratched his chin.

"Fine, inform the trader that we'll meet in this new location and that we'll also do business with him for any information he has," Jim informed them. The three men in engineering nodded as Jim pulled Ryan outside of the room.

"I want you to prep your security officers for the rendezvous with this trader. Pick an area in a safe part of space, possibly near a space station or a planet friendly with the federation. Understood?" Ryan nodded and looked at Jim.

"Yes sir, any place you had in mind?" Ryan asked. Jim shrugged.

"I don't know, flip a coin I guess. Just make sure that we're not near anything hostile." Ryan nodded.

"Yes sir."

* * *

"You think I still have a chance with Liam?" Alex asked. Claire sighed as she rested her feet on her best friends lap. Both of them were stuck doing charts, and Claire was practically exhausted. Being pregnant sucked.

"Write him a love poem and see what happens," she replied, yawning.

"I tried that, he just called me gay…" Claire looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Well…" Alex rolled his eyes and grabbed another chart, ignoring her statement. Claire leaned back and ran a hand through her hair and yawned once more.

"How is the pregnancy thing going?" he asked. She shot him a look and sat up a bit.

"How do you think it's going? My morning sickness is driving me crazy, I'm tired all the time, and my boobs hurt. I even had to pass up on sex because they were hurting so much." Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Why the hell would you pass up sex, even if they were hurting?" he asked. Claire turned to him and shot him a look.

"Because, their boobs, they are a key part in sex. Duh."

"They're only a key part if you make them a key part," Alex pointed out. Claire crossed her arms.

"Well, unlike you, Jim knows how to please a woman." Alex stopped and glared at her.

"Those mood swings are a pain in the ass too," he snapped.

"Who's having mood swings?" Liam asked, looking down at the two of them.

"Claire, she's being a major bitch," Alex told him. Claire kicked Alex's leg and turned toward her gay boyfriend.

"I'm not being a bitch, Alex is just an asshole." Liam rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, did you know we're stopping at a station soon?" he asked. Alex and Claire exchanged a look.

"No, when did you find this out?" Alex asked.

"Like an hour ago… Anna told me," he informed them. Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Why are we stopping at a station? It wasn't that long ago that we had shore leave. Besides, we're well stocked and haven't had any damage to the ship," he mused out loud. Liam shrugged.

"I'm just passing the information along," he snapped at Alex. As soon as he did, Liam regretted it when a hurt look crossed Alex's face.

"Right, whatever," he said a sad tone of voice as he rose from his spot and left the room. Claire angrily crossed her arms and glared at Liam.

"What the hell was that for? He was comfortable!" She snapped at him. Liam sighed as he took Alex's former spot.

"Sorry."

"Why can't the two of you act like normal people around each other? Jesus Christ, it's obvious that the two of you love each other," Claire continued, the angry tone in her voice not wavering. She wasn't normally a patient person, but the pregnancy was making her more easily agitated than usual.

"I… don't know…"

* * *

"The trader has informed us that he's already in position and is ready to do business," Scotty informed Jim from his spot at the computer for the transport deck. Jim nodded and turned to look at Ryan.

"Have you assembled an away team?" He asked. Ryan nodded as a few people entered the room. Oliver, Anna, and Alex entered the room. Ryan smiled.

"Anna is one of the top members in my security team. Oliver has been in contact with the trader the whole time. And it's always a good thing to have a doctor on handle, especially one you can take care of himself, so Alex will be joining us too," Ryan explained. Jim nodded in approval at his selection.

"Very well, let's get this over with. Energize," Jim commanded, as everyone was on the transporter pad. The team soon found themselves on a space station, and a man with an acne problem greeted them.

"Hello, welcome aboard," he said. Jim gave a nod and led his team out into the main part of the station.

"Do you have any idea who he is?" Jim asked. Oliver nodded and scanned the bar area, his eyes resting on a man who wore a dark cloak.

"That's him, he said he was wearing the cloak. Kind of like an undercover Jedi," he said. Jim shot the man a strange look, but nodded. They all walked to the table, and Jim gently knocked on it.

"Hello," Jim said. The man looked up, his gaze making Oliver jump. One eye was bright green, while the other was red.

"You must be the Captain," he said. Jim nodded and his gaze hardened when he saw the dagger the man held.

"Yeah, you the trader?" he asked. The trader nodded and gestured to the seat across from him with the dagger, causing Anna and Ryan to let their hands rest on their phasers.

"Sit, I'm not going to hurt you. No need to be so defensive," he said, pulling out a block of wood and chipping away at it with the dagger. Jim gestured for Ryan and Anna told calm down, and sat across from him.

"I suppose you know why we are here?" Jim asked. The man nodded and smiled slyly.

"Aye, you want to know about that Riley and Griffin fella. Am I right?" he asked. Jim nodded.

"Yes sir," he replied. The trader nodded and looked up at the rest of the small team.

"Well, quite a lot you brought just for some questions… and business," the trader muttered.

"Standard protocol. We're willing to do some business, as long as it's legal…" The trader scoffed and shook his head.

"Nothing worth having in this world is legal, let me tell you." Ryan sighed and shot a look at Anna, who was slowly getting annoyed.

"Just tell me what you know about the two men," Jim said. The trader shook his head and held his hand out, palm side up.

"Business first," he stated. Jim pressed his lips together, but motioned for Oliver to hand him the small stack of money. The trader took it from the man and counted it before nodding.

"Aye, that's be enough." He reached into his cloak and pulled out a small block looking thing. "Here, I've been trying to get this off my hands for years, it's yours." Jim took a hold of it and furrowed his eyebrows, not quite sure what it was. He handed it off to Ryan, who simply pocketed it.

"Now, back to the information," Jim demanded. The trader nodded and smiled wickedly at the group, his rotten teeth making Anna and Alex cringe.

"You'll be liking what I got for you. The two men were searching for small parts from me. Only a few things. But I contacted a few of my fellow traders and found out they'd been paid a visit by the two men as well. Apparently, they've been jumping from random trader to trader searching for small parts. I've composed a list of things they've taken from me as well as the traders that I know that were visited," he explained, passing the captain a crinkled piece of yellow paper. Jim's eyes scanned the list and looked up.

"This isn't much," he stated. Ryan's hand wasn't too far from his phaser, in case the trader decided to pull a fast one on them. However, the man merely smiled.

"I did tell you that, I did. There were many other traders that were visited by these men, of that I am sure. However, I don't know them nor do I know what was bought," he stated. Jim bit his lip as he analyzed the list before him.

"What could they want with these things?" He wondered out loud. The trader leaned back in his seat and placed his feet on the chair next to him.

"These men are smart. They could've bought all these items from me, but they didn't. They're purposely buying all these materials separately so no one can figure out what they're using it for. What are they making? I couldn't tell you. These things could make just about anything," the trader explained to them. Ryan peered over Jim's shoulder at the list, examining each item.

"Is this all you have for us?" Jim asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the table. The trader patted his pocket and grinned.

"Indeed. And I do believe the business was worth it," he stated with a sneer. Jim rose from his seat and handed the paper to Ryan.

"Thank you for agreeing to this meeting. We'll overlook your illegal trade because of your help, but only for this one time. Good day," Jim said, forcing himself to keep a serious straight face. The trader nodded and knocked back a pint of beer as Jim let the away team away from the table. Ryan sped up his pace a little and moved next to Jim.

"What are you thinking?" He whispered as they hurried out of the bar. Jim sighed.

"They're building something. That's all we have," he mumbled as he sent a signal to Scotty over his communicator. All five of them were beamed back up to the ship where Scotty, Spock, and McCoy were waiting.

"So what'd you find out?" Before Jim could reply, the ship jerked violently and all the people in the transporter room were thrown to the floor.

"What the hell was that?" Ryan asked, trying to raise back up to his feet. Scotty got on his knees and crawled over to the computer to check.

"It's the space station… it was just blown up!"

"What?" Anna asked.

"It just… blew up. There were no survivors… nothing." Jim sighed and stood up and glared at the floor.

"Why do I have a feeling this wasn't just a meeting." Spock looked over to Jim and raised an eyebrow.

"Do you suspect a set-up?" he asked. Jim sighed and turned to Ryan, who was clenching his fist.

"What do you think?" he asked. Ryan shook his head.

"I have no idea… it might have been, but we can't find any other ships in the area…" Jim sighed.

"Let's just get out of here for now. We'll investigate this later." Anna and Ryan nodded, both of them taking that as their cue to leave.

"What do you think is going to happen?" she asked.

"I don't know… I guess we're just going to have to wait and see." Anna nodded and looked up at her boyfriend. Before they got to the lift, she put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him.

"Ryan… you alright?" she asked. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Just… all this stuff with Griffin… it's bringing up memories I wanted to forget," he confessed. Anna frowned and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm sorry, I know you hate having to relive this," she said softly. He nodded and kissed the top of her head.

"You know I love you, with all my heart right?" he asked. She nodded and leaned up to kiss his lips.

"Want to show me how much?"

* * *

Claire glanced up from her book as Jim walked into the room and kicked off her shoes.

"Hey, you're back earlier than usual," she commented. Jim took off his uniform shirt and sat on the bed, his back facing her.

"It's been a long day," he told her. Claire put her book down and moved so she was right behind him on the bed. She placed her hands on his shoulders and began to gently massage him.

"Your muscles are so tense, are you sure it was just a long day?" she asked. Jim sighed and enjoyed the massage as she kneaded his tense muscles. He leaned back a little, and she leaned forward her chin resting on the top of his head. "Jim?"

"It's Riley…" he said softly. She sighed and wrapped her arms around him, and let her head rest on his shoulder.

"What happened?" she asked.

"We ran into a trader who he bought a few things from. He's building something and we have no idea what it is. Then, to top it all off. The station blew up, so we can't question the trader again." Claire frowned and placed a kiss on his neck.

"I'm sorry…" she whispered. He shook his head and kissed her lips tenderly.

"I love you," he told her.

"I love you too." He smiled and stood up, getting ready for bed. After a moment she looked up at him. "Jim…" he turned back to her.

"Yeah?" he looked so tired, and so annoyed. Maybe now was not the best time to tell him she was pregnant.

"Hi…"

* * *

"I don't like you." Griffin looked up from his work to see Nuhir standing in the doorway.

"I don't really care," he replied, returning back to work. There was a lot that needed to be done before their confrontation with the _Enterprise _and Griffin felt like he was the only person on the ship preparing for it.

"This is my plan!" He snapped, stepping into the room. Griffin ignored the man's outburst and continuing working on the box that sat on his desk.

"But this is my creation. You came up with the plan, but both Riley and I know that the only person to design this without any flaws is me. You're idea was good, but you lack the engineering needed to make it real," Griffin lectured, making the Romulan feel very small. His fists clenched, but he tried to calm himself.

"Are you almost done at least?" He snapped. Griffin placed his screwdriver down and sighed.

"No, Nuhir. Riley is looking for a way to get all the pieces we need. Until then, I'm building the shell," he explained, leaning back in his chair. Nuhir might have gotten on Riley's good side with the plan, but it was now all in his hands. And Griffin wasn't going to let the Romulan get any of the credit after they succeeded. Nuhir stormed forward and slammed his fists on Griffin's work table.

"How dare you? You come onto my captain's ship and you completely strip me of my rank. Do you know how hard I worked to get where I am? And you just take it from me as if I was nothing!" He yelled. Griffin felt the edge of his mouth twitch into a smile.

"Oh, but you are nothing Nuhir. You're nothing on your home world and you're nothing to Riley. Just an expendable man. He'll suck you dry of all your ideas and use your body as a weapon. He cares nothing about your wellbeing and he cares nothing about your status," Griffin said with his evil grin. Nuhir felt his heart ache at Griffin's words, but his rage got the best of him. He gripped the edge of Griffin's desk, causing the wood to snap and break.

"You're full of lies, Griffin. I am Riley's right hand man," Nuhir told him, releasing his iron grip. The indents of Nuhir's hands remained in the table which only fueled the sinister look on Griffin's face.

"No, Nuhir. You're wrong. You're merely Riley's right hand glove. You'll be tossed away whenever you stop being useful," Griffin snarled. Nuhir bite his lip hard, tasting the bitter metallic taste of his own blood.

"I hate you," he snapped. Griffin nodded.

"That's nice. Now take your hatred somewhere else," he ordered. Nuhir wanted to jump across the work table and strangle the man before him, but instead he just turned and walked away. Griffin chuckled as the door slammed shut behind the Romulan and he turned back to his work. The confrontation had put him in a better mood as he returned to building the box.

* * *

"Ryan, what on Earth are you doing? It's four in the morning!" An angry Anna called from her spot on the bed. She awoke to his side of the bed empty again, but noticed his hunched over position at the desk on the other side of the room. A small lamp lit the small machine on the table.

"I'm tinkering with this stupid machine. The trader is gone, but I'm hoping that this little device might have some clues to what's going on with Riley and Griffin," Ryan said, the tone of his voice getting angrier as his ex-best friend's name rolled off his lips. Anna sighed and ran a hand through her bed hair.

"Ryan, come back to bed. You'll have plenty of time to work on it later," Anna ordered. Reluctantly, he placed the tools he was using down and switched off the desk lamp.

"Fine, fine. But it's coming to work with me tomorrow," he said with a yawn. Anna rolled her eyes and smiled as Ryan rejoined her in bed.

"Later today, you mean," she corrected him. Ryan sighed.

"Right, right. Let's just go back to bed. You're so not pleasant in the morning," he mumbled as he snaked his arm around Anna's waist and closed his eyes. Anna smirked.

"Yeah, screw you too," she replied. Ryan smiled, his eyes still closed.

"You love me, don't deny it."

* * *

Claire ignored the sound of Jim's worried voice as she emptied last nights dinner into the toilet. She hated being pregnant, and everything that came with it. Though, the morning sickness was worse than she thought it would be. After a few more dry heaves she finally calmed her stomach enough to wipe her mouth and start a shower. She knew that Jim was probably annoyed that she just jumped into the shower without letting him know what was going on. She had been trying to tell him what was going on with her for a week, but every time she tried, something came up.

She leaned her head against the wall of the shower and sighed. She hated keeping things from him, but she couldn't bring herself to talk to him. After a few long minutes in the shower, she finally got out and wrapped a towel around herself. She scrunched her hair and brushed her teeth before exiting the bathroom and coming face to face with her boyfriend.

"Claire," he said. His gaze wandered down her body, realizing she was in nothing but a towel, but forced his eyes to her face.

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to take a shower real quick."

"Claire, what's wrong? Are you sick or something?"

"No, I'm fine. It's just a bug. I mean, you haven't gotten sick, have you? I'm fine." She went to walk away, but Jim grabbed her arm.

"Claire, what's wrong? What happened? Are we…" Claire shook her head.

"No, no… we're fine. I'm just a little sick. McCoy said it should be over soon." _Like in nine months._ Jim sighed and kissed her forehead.

"You'll tell me if something was wrong, right?" Claire quickly debated the question, not wanting to lie to her boyfriend. Technically, there wasn't anything _wrong_ with her. Having a baby was supposed to be a _good _thing.

"Of course I would. There's nothing wrong with me, I'm just a bit under the weather," she explained. Jim nodded and pulled the towel covered Claire into his arms.

"So, how about a quickie before we start the day?" He asked with a sly smirk. Claire rolled her eyes and smiled back, but the sudden urge to empty her stomach again arose and she dashed to the bathroom once again.

* * *

Tre'gok ducked to the left as Nuhir roundhouse kicked the Klingon. He used his left hand to support his body as he rolled to the side and kicked his Romulan competitor in the side. Nuhir grunted as he went down.

"You're not very focused today, Nuhir. What's on your mind?" Nuhir didn't respond. Instead, he threw his right fist towards Tre'gok who merely ducked under the punch. He sprung backwards onto both of his hands and delivered a kicked upwards into Nuhir's jaw. After a sickening crack, Nuhir finally fell to the ground. Tre'gok rose to his feet and looked down at the Romulan.

"I hrate rim!" Nuhir shouted through his broken jaw. Tre'gok noticed the blood pouring down his friend's face and sighed. No one was really friends on this ship. They all just had a common goal. But Tre'gok liked to think of Nuhir as a friend. They sparred together in their spare time and Nuhir came to him with his anger towards Griffin. Tre'gok watched over time as Riley rejected Nuhir as his right hand man and this strange ex-Starfleet member took his place. Nuhir hated him with all his being and as his friend, so did Tre'gok. But he didn't like accidentally breaking his 'best friend's' jaw.

"Let's go get you cleaned up and we'll write a program on the holo-deck where you can kick his ass over and over again," Tre'gok told him in his best soothing voice. As a Klingon, that really didn't exist. It came out more as a statement of pity, but Tre'gok tried anyway. It's what a real friend would do, right?

* * *

"You still haven't told him?" Alex asked in almost a whiny voice as he and Claire made their way to sickbay. Claire turned to glare at him.

"No, I haven't. I'm just waiting for the right time," she snapped. Alex shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked.

"Jesus Christ, if I have to put up with this shit for nine months, I'm going to have to rip that parasite right out of your body…" he mumbled. Claire stopped to turned and beat him, but Liam appeared next to her.

"You've got a parasite? You're sick?" He asked, a curious look on his face. Alex smirked at Claire as she frozen and tried to come up with an answer.

"I… yeah. I'm sick. So, so sick. But I'll be fine," Claire explained nervously. Liam looked from Alex to Claire and back to Alex, who still bore the same smug grin.

"She's pregnant, isn't she?" He asked. Alex nodded as Claire gave a frustrated sigh.

"You're not supposed to tell anyone!" She snapped. Alex shrugged.

"It's not my fault you won't tell Jim or your brother. People are going to find out. Hiding a pregnancy isn't easy. Besides, surely Jim has started to noticed the morning sickness everyday," Alex countered. Liam nodded, but froze.

"Wait, you haven't told Jim or Ryan yet?" Claire rolled her eyes and glared at him.

"Liam, you say anything to anyone, I will personally make sure you never have children for as long as you live," she hissed.

"Then she's going to apologize and try and help put your balls back, because by then the violent mood swing will be over." Claire turned around and Punched Alex's shoulder and glared at him.

"You shut your mouth," she snapped.

"Claire, Alex is right. You need to tell Jim and Ryan. Ryan because he's your brother and you know how he is about family. You definitely need to tell Jim, seeing as he is the father of this child." Liam paused, "He is the father, right?" Claire looked at her best friend offended.

"Of course he is! What, do you think I'm some sort of slut?" she asked.

"No Claire, it was a joke. Though, you have been known to get a little crazy after a few shots of tequila…" Claire rolled her eyes and grabbed a chart.

"I'm going to tell him, I just need to find the right time. I can't just spring this on him at the wrong time," she said softly.

"Well you're running out of time. Alex is right, it's hard to hide a pregnancy, especially with your figure, but it's even harder to hide a baby. I mean, you could try, but even Jim is going to catch on. He's not that stupid," Liam reminded her. Claire slammed her chart down and glared at him.

"Fine, I'm going to tell Ryan, right now," she said confidently.

"Why not tell Jim?" Alex asked.

"He's in a meeting, I'm not about to just interrupt him to tell him I'm… sick," she said, looking around sickbay. She didn't give the boys a chance to answer before she bolted out of the room and left them alone. Liam sighed and picked up her chart.

"I love her, but she's such a dumb blonde sometimes," he muttered. Alex nodded in agreement.

"That sad part is, she's the smartest blonde I know." Liam shrugged.

"Even monkey's fall out of trees."

* * *

Ryan pressed his lips together as he looked at the small device in his hands. He had been looking at it for a couple of hours and had yet to figure out what it did. He was about to throw it at the wall when the door to his office opened and Claire walked in.

"Hey, Ryan," she said, forcing a smile on her face.

"Hey, you alright?" Ryan asked, looking back down at the device in his hand and picking up a tool to try and open it.

"Yeah, I'm just great… what are you doing?" she asked. Ryan shrugged and put his tools back down, leaving only the small broken device in his hands.

"I'm trying to see what this is," he confessed. Claire leaned in and raised an eyebrow.

"It looks like it's broken," she told him. He rolled his eyes.

"I know that, I've been trying to fix it, but it's not working." Claire nodded and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, look, I've got to talk to you about something," she said.

"You think if I tried to hook it up to a computer, I could make it turn on?" he asked. Claire paused but shrugged.

"Uh, maybe. Ryan, I need to tell you something and it's kind of import-"

"I should ask Rupert to take a look at it, maybe he can get Scotty to get it to work," he muttered. Claire rolled her eyes and gave a frustrated sigh.

"Ryan, flip the damn on switch!" she hissed. Ryan paused before seeing what she meant.

"Oh, there it is," he muttered, switching it on. After a second the device turned on and a bright light engulfed the room, causing both Ryan and Claire to black out for a minute. Claire fell to the floor as Ryan fell forward on his desk. After a few minutes, Ryan's eyes fluttered open. He blinked a few times, trying to focus on the small fat bolts on the ceiling. Claire woke up seconds later, face down in her own drool.

"What the hell happened?" Claire asked, lifting her head off the desk. Ryan propped himself up on his elbows and gasped at what he saw. He was looking at himself sitting at his desk. He looked down at his own body to see the familiar blue doctor's uniform. Claire turned around in her chair to come face to face with herself.

"Claire?" Ryan asked hesitantly, noting the higher pitch of his voice. Claire nodded, completely in awe of the situation. She looked down and realized that she was dressed in the security uniform.

"What the hell happened to us?" She asked breathlessly, standing up and touching her now bare chest. Ryan watched her actions as she assessed the situation. Claire looked down at her brother who was still in her body and glared.

"Don't sit like that! You're in a skirt," Claire snapped, her voice low and almost sounded like a growl. Ryan returned her glare.

"Fine, then don't stand like that with your hand on your hip. It makes me seem like a girl," he countered. Claire scoffed.

"I am a girl, genius," she pointed out. Ryan folded his arms, realizing how thin Claire's arms really were.

"You're a girl in a man's body. My body. So therefore, you'll stand like a man," he commanded. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Then close your legs," she ordered. He stood up and looked down at her/his body. It was definitely not something he was used to. After a minute he looked up at her.

"Why am I nauseous?" he asked. Claire froze and ran a hand through her/Ryan's hair. She scrunched her nose when she realized how short it was and sighed.

"I don't know, Ryan you have to fix this. We need to tell someone," she told him.

"Oh yeah, let's just tell people that we switched bodies, that'll go over great." Claire gave a frustrated groan and paced a little, her hands on her hips. It was weird being in a mans body, especially since her brother's build was significantly different than hers. While he was tall and buff, she was on the short side and had very little muscle on her. The only muscle she accumulated was leg muscle from running in the gym with Anna when they could. It seemed as though Ryan worked out every free moment.

"Ryan, we can't just stay like this. I have patients, and McCoy is going to figure something is off when you aren't treating them," she pointed out.

"We just have to act like each other for a day, two tops. I'll fix the device and we'll be back to normal." Claire frowned and pressed her lips together and crossed her arms over her chest.

"This is not good. Shit…" Before Ryan could offer a word of comfort for his sister, a beeping echoed through his office.

"Sickbay to Doctor Conaway, you are needed in sickbay." Claire was about to answer but stopped and looked at her brother, who was looking at her confused. She gave him a look and he suddenly got a look of realization.

"Oh, um, I'll be right there," Ryan answered. He scrunched his nose at the sound of his new high pitched voice and shook his head.

"Here, take this and fix it. Just tell Alex that uh… you're not feeling well and need to go lay down. If he asks why just tell him the uh… thing is bothering you. He'll know what you mean," she told him. Before Ryan could ask anymore questions, the door opened and Rupert walked in.

"Oh, hey Claire. They just called you down to sickbay not too long ago," he said. Ryan gawked at the fact that he now had to look up to talk to his best friend, but nodded.

"Yeah, I'm leaving." Rupert raised an eyebrow as 'Claire' left, and turned toward Ryan.

"She alright?" he asked. 'Ryan' shrugged.

"No clue, you know women…" Claire gave an awkward chuckle and hoped she was convincing.

"Hmm, well, a few of the guys down in engineering are going out tonight to drink, you want to go with?" he asked. Claire's first reaction was to say yes, then stopped.

"Uh, I'm… well, um… I'm spending the night with… Anna?" Rupert furrowed his eyebrows and shrugged.

"Whatever mate…" at that, he left, leaving Claire alone.

"Ugh, this is gonna suck."

* * *

Ryan walked into sickbay, trying his hard not to stumble on his own two feet. He had no idea how Claire, or Anna for that matter, did their job in heels. He didn't ponder it further as he walked up to the medical station.

"Hey, there you are. Did you tell Ryan?" Liam asked. Ryan furrowed his eyebrows, Claire went to tell him something? Did she? He couldn't remember.

"Uh…" Alex scoffed and shook his head.

"Of course she didn't. She's chicken-shit. If she won't tell Jim what makes you think she'd tell Ryan?" Alex muttered. Liam shot him a look and turned back to 'Claire.'

"You need to tell either one of them. McCoy is getting on your case about it." Ryan couldn't take any more of it, it was like they were speaking in riddles and he needed to figure out the missing piece.

"Tell him what?" Ryan asked. Both Liam and Alex stopped to look at him.

"You know… about the… parasite?" Liam said. Ryan's eyes went wide.

"Parasite?" Alex furrowed his eyebrows at her.

"You know, the baby. Jesus, did you hit your head and forget you were pregnant?" Alex asked. The words hit Ryan like a brick wall, and he suddenly felt extremely sick.

"I'm going to throw up," he said, running to the bathroom. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Morning sickness…" he mumbled. McCoy walked into sickbay, scanning the room for someone.

"Where is Conaway?" He asked. Liam pointed towards the bathroom.

"She's vomiting again," he told him. McCoy sighed and ran a hand over his stubbly face.

"Alright, when she gets out of the bathroom, send her back to her room. I don't want her working if all she's doing is puking," McCoy told them. They nodded as their boss left them alone.

"Claire's kind of acting weird, don't you think?" Liam asked. Alex shrugged.

"I don't pretend to understand pregnant women," he replied. Liam nodded and they returned back to work.

* * *

"Hey babe," Claire looked up from Ryan's device to see Anna standing in the doorway with a lustful look in her eyes. Claire swallowed, remembering the last time a girl gave her that look. Melissa. Ugh.

"H-Hey Anna," she replied, trying to remain calm.

"What are you up to?" she asked. Claire gave a small awkward cough and shifted in her seat a little.

"Uh… work. You know how it is," Claire replied. Anna nodded and walked so she was sitting on Ryan's desk, facing Claire.

"How about I take your mind off that work?" Anna asked, a wicked smirk on her face. Claire resisted the urge to roll her eyes when she saw Anna 'discreetly' lift her skirt a little. It was one of the oldest tricks in the books, and she wasn't falling for it.

"You know, I'm alright babe," She flinched at calling Anna 'babe' but continued on. "I have a lot to do and I want to get it done," she told her. Anna moved so she was straddling 'Ryan's' lap, and Claire had to fight the urge to push her off.

"Come on, one quickie. It'll take some stress away," she said, leaning in to kiss Claire.

"Anna, this is my office, come on now," Claire said, hoping that would make her stop.

"You never had a problem with it before," Anna whispered, pressing her lips onto 'Ryan's'. Claire immediately froze and had to try not to scrunch her nose. She went to shove Anna off, and almost knocked her into the table, forgetting how strong she now was. Anna looked back at her wide eyed.

"Anna, I'm sorry. I just… I'm a little stressed and just not in the mood," she told her. Anna pouted but stood up.

"Yeah, I should probably get back to work," she said. Claire immediately recognized the dejected tone in her voice. She had used it plenty of times with Jim.

"Anna, I'll make it up to you, I just… can't right now." Anna rolled her eyes but smiled.

"I'll see you tonight," she said. She gave Claire a quick kiss on the lips before leaving the office. Claire gave a frustrated sigh and practically slammed her head on the desk. She felt horrible about rejecting her, but there was no way in hell she was about to have sex with her. The situation was awkward enough. Claire looked over at the device and glared at it.

"I hate you."

* * *

Ryan returned from the bathroom a half hour later. The truth had been revealed and as Ryan looked into the mirror, he noticed the slightly bloated stomach that Claire had been hiding from them. It still completely blew his mind that she'd been keeping this from him, but they had more important things going on right now.

"Hey, how're you feeling now?" Liam asked as Ryan entered sickbay again.

"A bit better now, thanks," Ryan admitted. Liam nodded as Alex strolled into the room.

"McCoy gave you the rest of the day off. It's a good time to go tell Jim and Ryan what's going on in your female bits," he suggested. Liam turned to glare at Alex.

"I didn't think you could make it sound any weirder, but you've proven me wrong once again," he snapped in a playful tone. Alex shrugged.

"Go on Claire, get outta here," he ordered. Ryan nodded.

"Alright, I'll go see Cl- uh, my brother. Later," he said before practically storming out of sickbay. He entered the lift and practically slammed the button into the control panel. He need to fix this so he could yell at his sister properly. It didn't feel the same if he was in her body, and nauseous. God, if this was how she was feeling all the time he was a little sorry for her. He doors opened and he walked straight into his office, where he saw Claire fumbling with the small device.

"If this is what Riley and Griffin were trying to build, they were wasting their time. This thing is a piece of crap," she muttered. Ryan just locked the door and sat across from her, grabbing the device and beginning to mess with it. One good thing about being Claire, her surgical fingers came in handy when handling something so small. Claire pressed her lips together as she saw the annoyed face on, well, her face.

"Um… are you alright? You seem a little… mad," she commented.

"I am a little mad," he confessed. She racked her brain trying to figure out why he would be mad, but was coming up short.

"Well… um, you want to talk about it?" she asked. Ryan just glared at the device in his hand as he grabbed a screw driver.

"You want to tell me why you didn't tell me you were pregnant?" he asked. Claire gave a heavy sigh and buried her face in her hands. She took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"Look, I tried to tell you, but… it's not an easy thing to tell," she told him.

"How hard is it to tell? 'Hey, I'm pregnant.' How difficult is that?" he snapped. Claire scrunched her nose, hearing how her voice got a little higher in pitch when she was angry.

"Look, I just… it's hard. I know how bad you want a family and I guess… I felt a little guilty," she admitted. Ryan looked up from the device and looked at her.

"Guilty? Why would you feel guilty?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Because you tried so hard to make a family work, and it just kind of happened with me. To be quite honest, I wasn't in a rush to have a kid, and then I get pregnant. I mean, Jim doesn't even know, and I'm almost afraid to see his reaction," she said. Ryan pressed his lips together and took a deep breath.

"Are you… keeping it?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yes. Even if Jim doesn't want it, I'm not going to make it suffer just because things… happened." Ryan nodded and began to fix the device again.

"Well, if Jim doesn't want it, I'll make sure it's taken care of. I'll help you," he told her. Claire smiled and felt a tear slip from her eye.

"Thanks Ryan," she said. Ryan looked up and saw the tear and began to cry himself.

"Jesus, you're making me cry. Stupid hormones…" Claire chuckled and passed him a tissue.

"So, can you fix it by tonight?" she asked. He looked down at it and sighed.

"I was really hoping that I could just flip the on switch to off, but it appears as if the switch is missing. So no, probably not. I need to tinker with it for awhile. So tonight, we're just going to have to put up with this chaos," Ryan said as he played with the small machine. He was so used to his rough callused hands instead of Claire's small soft hands. Claire sighed.

"Which means Anna is going to want some loving from you tonight. And Jim's probably going to be in a frisky mood. Are you happy with what you've done?" She snapped. Ryan looked up at Claire shocked.

"What are we going to do?" Claire shrugged.

"I don't know… either you sleep with Anna as a girl or you pretend to be me and sleep with my boyfriend," she suggested. Ryan's face lit up.

"Girl on girl?" He asked, but Claire shook her head.

"No. You know what, you don't have a choice," she said, quickly covering her butt. She did not want to sleep with Jim as a man. It was just too weird. Though sleeping with Anna didn't sound any better. It was either her being a lesbian and Ryan being gay or Jim being gay and Anna being a lesbian. Claire felt a headache coming on as she placed her face in her hands.

"You're no fun, you know that? Besides, I'm not going to sleep with Jim. The only penis I ever need to see is my own," Ryan stated. Claire sighed.

"Yeah, well you've lost that privilege the moment you switched us," she snapped, her frustration taking over. She could practically feel her blood boil and remembered Ryan's anger issues. He'd been in control of them for awhile now, but it wasn't him controlling it now. It was her.

"Stop blaming me! I didn't know what was going to happen!" Ryan cried out in Claire's body, tears rolling down her face again. Claire sighed and patted Ryan on the shoulder, watching him sob.

"Alright, calm down." he groaned and wiped his face. He wanted his body back just as much as Claire wanted hers back. However, that didn't seem to be happening anytime soon.

"God, is this the pregnancy? I don't remember you being this moody," he commented. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it's like being on permanent PMS for nine months, probably more. Just be thankful you only get a couple days of it," she said. Ryan sighed and stood up.

"We need to get to dinner… then… yeah," he said. Claire sighed and nodded.

"It's going to be fine… we just have to convince everyone that nothing is wrong… we can do that," she said. Ryan nodded and ran a hand through his/Claire's hair.

"Yeah… it's worth a shot."

* * *

"Oh my god, my body actually finds that appealing?" Claire said, looking at the food of choice her brother chose. He had a steak that was smothered in ketchup and mustard on a bun with sharp cheese. She wasn't even going to look at the fries covered in chili, something which she always found disgusting despite the fact that all her friends liked them. She knew the minute she got her body back, she would have to spend a few hours at the gym running that off.

"Yeah, but it's so good. I can't wait to try the pudding cake," he said. Claire rolled her eyes. The things that came out of the generator boggled her mind.

"Hey guys. Claire, what are you eating? Anna asked. 'Claire' looked up from her streak sandwich and shrugged.

"It's good, you want some?" Anna shook her head and moved a little closer to 'Ryan' who just stared down at his burger.

"Hey, glad to see you're feeling better," Liam said, sitting next to Claire.

"Oh… yeah. I'm feeling much better," Ryan said, placing a hand on his stomach. It was still really weird to know that a human was growing inside his body, but knowing that the body he was in wasn't even his. It was kind of mind-boggling. He wasn't looking forward to the moment when he had to use the restroom.

"Aw, are you not feeling good?" Anna asked, placing a hand on 'Claire's' forehead. Ryan leaned into the touching, wanting nothing more than to curl up in his girlfriend's arms. He was tired and this whole charade was not making things better.

"It's just the pains that come along with being pregnant," Ryan explained, having no qualms against revealing Claire's secret. Claire stopped mid-bit of her burger and turned to glare at her brother in her body.

"Really? Ryan, did you know? Why didn't you tell me?" Anna asked, taking Claire's hand within her own. Claire forced herself not to flinch at the action, but forced a smile upon her brother's face. She wasn't really into the whole touchy feely thing with Anna, but she wasn't going to ruin this for her brother. She just reminded herself of the things he would be sacrificing for her and Jim later. Whether he wanted to or not.

"I was processing it all afternoon. You happened to come in right after she told me," Claire lied, trying to save her brother's ass. Even if he did just reveal her secret. She had no problem telling Anna, but she really wanted to tell Jim before anyone else.

"Did you know she hasn't told Jim yet?" Liam pointed out, taking a bit out of his salad. Anna felt her eyes get wide as she stared at Claire.

"You haven't told Jim yet? Your boyfriend? The father?" Anna asked, completely appalled. Ryan shrugged. He didn't agree with it, but it was Claire's problem and not his.

"I just haven't found the right time yet," he lied, trying to cover up for his sister while digging into his meal again. The conversation ended as everyone tried to avoid looking at the monstrous meal on 'Claire's' plate.

"Haven't found the right time? Jesus woman… you need to tell him!"

"I know!" Claire hissed, though it came from Ryan's lips. The table stopped and glanced over at Ryan, who was blushing like crazy.

"Babe… you alright?" Anna asked. Claire nodded her head, trying to figure out a way to cover herself.

"Yeah, I mean like, I know, she needs to tell him!" Ryan resisted the urge to laugh by stuffing some food into his mouth.

"Wow… you're really pregnant?" Anna asked. Ryan nodded his head, but kept his gaze down at his food.

"Yup…" Claire looked at her brother, watching as he tried to reply to that question. Maybe everyone else had expected it to happen, but Ryan had no clue. Or he at least pretended that he had no clue.

"So, let's get off the topic about Claire being pregnant, I'm sure there are other things we as adults can discuss." Both the Conaway kids were very thankful for Alex's interjection, and gave him an appreciative smile before turning to their meal.

* * *

Claire flopped down on the bed as she ran a hand through her brother's hair. She knew Anna would be coming in soon, and she was not looking forward to it. If Ryan was right, Anna would be wanting Sex, and Claire was not about to satisfy her. Ryan's body or not, it was not happening. She was already mortified enough when she was forced to take a shower. She knew she would never be able to look at her brother the same way ever again. The door opened and Claire quickly slipped under the covers, trying to pretend she was asleep. Anna simply slipped into bed and draped and arm around her waist.

"Ryan, come on baby, you can't be asleep already?" she whispered in her ear. Claire tried not to barf as she felt Anna's lips on her neck.

"Anna, it's been a long day. Maybe tomorrow," Claire said, trying to make Ryan's voice as tired as possible. Anna continued to kiss her neck as he hand wandered farther down than her waist.

"Maybe right now," she said. Claire grabbed her hand.

"Anna, I'm tired… please, can we just sleep?" Claire asked. Anna frowned and sat up.

"What's wrong? Are you mad at me or something?" she asked. Claire sat up, looking down at her friend.

"No, no… I'm just… tired, stressed, and a whole bunch of other stuff that would make me not want to have sex," Claire said. Anna furrowed her eyebrows.

"Did that make sense in your mind?" Anna asked. Claire paused and shook her head.

"No… I guess not. Look, I really am just tired," she said softly. Anna paused before letting a smirk break out on her face.

"I know what can get you pumped." Before Claire could reply, Anna lunged forward and kissed her heatedly. Claire froze and put her hands on Anna's shoulder. Anna took it as a different sign and let one hand drop into Claire's crotch and gripped her, or really Ryan's, junk. This caused Claire to push herself away and fall off the bed.

"I can't do this, I'm sorry! This is not happening," Claire said, standing up and walking away.

"Ryan, what the hell is going on?" Anna asked. Claire gave a frustrated groan.

"I can't do this anymore. I'm not Ryan," she said. Anna froze and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I know this is hard to believe, but I'm Claire. Ryan was messing with this doohickey and switched our bodies. So now I'm stuck being him and he's stuck being me." Anna was silent for a moment before standing up and shaking her head.

"You know Ryan, I don't know why you are doing this, but it's not funny."

"I'm not joking… I really am Claire!"

"Really, prove it!" Anna demanded.

"Alright, I told you where Jim's birth mark is the other day." Anna rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, and every other whore in the galaxy knows where it is too." Claire flinched at the thought.

"Harsh, Anna…" Claire muttered. Anna just raised an eyebrow.

"Well?" Claire gave a heavy sigh and walked up to her, looking down at the Latino woman.

"When you were fifteen, you walked in on your brother having his first time with-"

"OH MY GOD!" Anna squealed.

"I told you," Claire said. Anna looked at her wide eyed.

"I have only told Claire that I found Esteban with Hector… together," Anna whispered. Claire shook her head.

"I can't believe you dated a guy named Hector." A silence fell over them as Anna looked at what she thought to be her boyfriend, but a closer look into his eyes she could see that it was not, in fact, her boyfriend, but one of her best friends instead.

"_Dios mío, _Claire?" Anna breathed. Claire nodded and watched as her best friend passed out. She was only thankful she fell forward onto the bed.

"Well… that was awkward…"

* * *

Ryan bit his lip as he sat helplessly on Claire and Jim's bed. Jim had sent a message ahead that he was running a bit late, but he'd make it up to her later. Ryan cringed at the thought of Jim making it up to his sister/him. Ryan sighed and let his head drop to his chest, causing Claire's blonde hair to fall and frame his face. Ryan had spent an hour in the shower, trying to complete the task with his eyes closed. Just touching her body made him want to vomit profusely. It was just wrong on so many levels.

"Claire? You in here, baby?" Jim asked, entering the room and stripping his shirt off after a long day at work. He missed her, not even getting the chance to see her at dinner. Ryan looked up to see the shirtless Jim and felt his stomach lurch. This was not going to be a fun night.

"Hey Jim," Ryan said nervously, his voice getting higher from his panicked state. Jim smirked as he kicked his boots off.

"You waiting for me?" He asked as he crossed the room and planted a gentle kiss on his girlfriend. Ryan moved at the last second, his kiss landing on her cheek. Jim didn't say anything at the strange action, knowing how moody Claire was acting lately. She probably just didn't want to get him sick.

"So… how was your day?" Ryan asked, trying to move the conversation along in a non-sexual way. Jim shrugged as he undid his belt and began to remove his pants, much to Ryan's dismay.

"It was fine. There was a small radioactive wave onboard the ship earlier today, but everything seemed fine. How was your day? Bones told me he gave you the day off," Jim asked, standing before Ryan in nothing more than his black boxer briefs. Ryan fought the urge to barf as he noticed the bulge in Jim's underwear, hoping to not to see more than he was seeing now.

"I was feeling kind of sick earlier, but I'm feeling much better now. I figured one more day to rest and recover wouldn't hurt though, since I don't want to get any patients sick," Ryan said, trying to make a good excuse. Truth was, he needed as much time to play with the stupid device that caused this situation. Jim nodded as he joined his girlfriend in bed, wrapping his arms around her. Ryan froze at the touch, but forced his body to relax. He promised Claire two things; one, he was not going to tell Jim about the baby. And two, he wouldn't drive Jim away. However, his promise seemed harder and harder to keep by the minute.

"Good. I'm kind of tired tonight…" Jim started, "so why don't we just make it a quick one tonight?" Ryan forced himself not to scream out in fear as Jim's hand traveled up his loose fitting t-shirt. Just before Jim's hand could caress Claire's breast, Ryan practically jumped out of Jim's grip and fell to the floor.

"I can't do this!" Ryan cried out, crawling across the floor until he reached the wall. Jim looked over the bed to see 'Claire' huddled in the fetal position in the corner of the room.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Ryan couldn't help as the tears began to flow down his face. Being in a pregnant woman's body really sucked. Jim rose from the bed and tried to go to her side, but Ryan kept him at arms length.

"Jim, I'm not Claire. I'm Ryan!" He cried out, still sobbing uncontrollably. Jim froze and stopped.

"Claire, how sick are you?" He asked, completely shocked by her words. Ryan forced the tears to stop long enough for him to look into Jim's eyes.

"That machine the trader gave us! I was tinkering with it and it switched me and Claire. She came to talk to me about something when I finished it and we switched. That was the radioactive wave from earlier," Ryan tried to explain while calming himself down. Jim blinked, unsure of what to say.

"Ryan, how do I really know it's you?" He asked. Ryan sighed.

"I hate you," he stated. Jim scoffed.

"Everyone knows that," he reminded Ryan. Ryan sighed and thought hard.

"When we were sharing a tent on our away mission, you and I had that long and heartfelt conversation after getting attacked," Ryan said, trying to think of something that only they knew about it. Jim pondered it for a moment, but shook his head.

"You could have told Claire that before," he pointed out. Getting frustrated, Ryan used all his might and punched Jim in the face, knocking him backwards. Jim rolled onto his butt, holding his face in pain.

"Alright, alright. I believe you!" He snapped. Ryan nodded happily, mainly because he got to punch Jim in the face. He'd been wanting to do that since Jim and Claire had gotten back together.

* * *

"Hey… wake up!"" Anna flinched as she felt something lightly tap the side of her face. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw Ryan looking down at her, though she knew it was definitely not Ryan.

"Oh my god!" Anna shouted, jolting up and going on the other side of the room.

"Okay, no need to go postal and my ass. I'm not going to kill you or anything," Claire said, crossing her arms. Anna just watched as Ryan's body stood in front of her. Now that she knew the truth, she could see he was telling he truth just by the way he was standing.

"Claire, how the hell do we fix this?" Anna asked. Claire shrugged and sat on a chair.

"Beats the hell out of me. Ryan said he would fix the device that changed us tomorrow morning, I don't know how well that's going to work out though…" Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" She asked.

"Well, with the morning sickness I've been having, he's going to be in the bathroom for at least an hour and a half on and off." Anna covered her face with her hands.

"Oh my god, my boyfriend is a girl!" she cried. Claire just patted her back.

"Anna, just breathe. Tomorrow things will be much better, once Ryan fixes this. Just breathe." Anna took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"I'm okay. I just can't believe this… it does explain a lot though." Claire nodded.

"Yeah, I hope Ryan's doing better than I am," she muttered. Anna looked up at her confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked. Claire blushed and ran a hand through Ryan's short hair.

"Well… we didn't want you or Jim to worry, so we promised each other we wouldn't give either of you guys a reason to doubt us, by any means necessary. I couldn't go through with it," Claire confessed. Anna thought it over before her eyes went wide.

"You mean… you guys were going to have sex with Jim and I just to keep up the ruse?" she asked.

"We were supposed to. I don't know if Ryan did, I didn't. No offense, but the thought of having sex was just-"

"Fucking nasty," Anna answered. Claire nodded.

"Yeah, but I have no idea how Ryan faired. Between Jim's persistence and my pregnancy hormones…" Anna cringed.

"God, I hope not. You think he did?" Claire shrugged.

"We'll find out tomorrow…"

* * *

Claire entered her room and glanced around. She knew that Jim had reported to work, but Ryan hadn't, leaving a very pissed McCoy to rant a rave. Claire looked around the living room and saw Jim's shirt laying on the floor. She absentmindedly picked it up and frowned when she saw His pants not too far from the shirt. Before she could say anything else, she heard the sound of vomiting coming from the bathroom.

"Ryan?" she asked. The door opened and she saw her own body bent in front of the toilet. She sighed and dropped the clothing in her hand to pull back her hair from her brother's face. After a few more minutes, Ryan stood up and washed his face.

"Better?" Claire asked. Ryan shook his head.

"You've been feeling like this every morning for the past two months?" he asked. She nodded and helped him clean himself off.

"Yup, fun stuff right?" she asked. He shook his head and sat down on a chair not far from the bed.

"Ugh… this sucks." Claire nodded and looked around.

"How was last night?" she asked. Ryan was silent before he spoke.

"I punched Kirk in the face," he admitted. Claire raised her eyebrows and let her jaw dropped.

"What kind of sex did you two have?"

"We didn't have sex. I told him I wasn't you, he didn't believe me, so I punched him in the face. It felt fantastic, if you wanted to know." A wave of nausea passed over him and he leaned over. "Jesus, I feel worse than I did last night," he muttered.

"Last night? I never get nauseas at night…" Claire muttered.

"I don't know. I punched Kirk, and felt great for about a minute, then threw up my dinner and then some for the rest of the night." Claire smirked.

"Must be the baby, it knows you hurt it's daddy and is mad at you," she told him. Ryan looked up at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell are you smoking? What happened to a baby being a parasite?" he asked.

"It still is, you just pissed it off." Ryan rolled his eyes and took a few deep breaths. He had to concentrate in order to fix the device.

* * *

Ryan sighed for what felt like the million time and slammed his screwdriver down on the table. He didn't like Claire's body, her hands were soft and delicate. The complete opposite of his own. He'd spent all day on the device, slaving over it. Just trying to understand how it worked and how to reverse it. He'd moved his base of operation to his office where he could instruct Claire on how to do his job. Claire wasn't too thrilled of being the chief security officer, but she followed Ryan's orders and did what she could. So far, their day had been uneventful.

"Do you find it odd that neither Anna nor Jim has been in to visit us?" Claire asked as Ryan cursed. The device sparked, but nothing happened.

"No, not really. It really sucks for us, but it's hard for them. I don't blame either one of them," Ryan replied without looking up. He grabbed another tool off the table as Anna knocked on the door.

"It's just me, you guys," she called through the door. Claire nodded.

"Come on in then," she instructed. Anna entered the room with a grim smile as she looked at the Conaway siblings.

"This is really weird…" she stated, gesturing to them. Claire returned her grim smile and nodded.

"Tell me about it. Having your brother toilet train you isn't too fun," she mumbled. Ryan chuckled.

"That was actually kind of funny," he stated. Anna rolled her eyes.

"So how much longer until I can cuddle with my boyfriend in his own body again?" She asked. Ryan looked up at her before turning to look at Claire and then back at Anna.

"I don't know… I think I might be onto something, but I might need another day," he explained. Claire sighed.

"No offense Anna, but I'm not looking forward to another awkward night with you," Claire told her. Anna held up her hand.

"You don't need to explain, I know exactly what you're talking about. Ryan, maybe you can just spend the night with me in Claire's body and vice versa. I'm sure Jim wouldn't have a problem with that," Anna suggested.

"Have a problem with what?" A voice from the doorway said. Jim stood in the doorway with his hands in his pockets looking nervously from Claire to Ryan, still mildly confused with the situation at hand. Claire stood up, momentarily forgetting she was in her brother's body. Without thinking, she ran up to Jim and embraced him. Jim froze at the touch, seeing nothing, but Ryan. However, he knew it was Claire. Awkwardly, he hugged back. The height difference between the two was less apparent seeing as Ryan was just a little bit taller than Jim. But Claire didn't care. She missed Jim and the whole situation just made her want to cuddle up with her boyfriend.

"That looks totally gay," Anna giggled. Everyone in the room turned to glare at her, including Ryan. He didn't really appreciate looking at himself getting all touchy-feely with Jim, but he had no choice. It merely fueled his motivation to change him back. He missed just standing up to pee.

"And now you and Ryan look like a lesbian couple, so shut the hell up!" Claire countered. Jim shrugged.

"It feels kind of gay…" he admitted. Claire went to lightly smack him on the arm, but forgot the strength she now possessed as Ryan. Jim stumbled back at the force of the slap. "Ow, what was that for?"

"Sorry, I forget how strong Ryan is sometimes," she admitted. Ryan smiled confidently at her words.

"Well thank you," he replied. Anna furrowed her eyebrows.

"Please don't smile like that again. It looks okay on you, but when you do that in Claire's body it kind of makes you look constipated," Anna told him. Ryan's smile immediately disappeared as everyone in the room burst out laughing.

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?" Rupert asked as he entered the room. He saw Anna leaning against the wall near Claire who was tinkering with some device near Ryan's desk while Ryan and Jim were hugging by the door.

"Uh…" But no one had anything to say to respond to it. Claire was the first to speak.

"We're having a heart to heart," she said. Ryan scrunched his nose, hearing the words come out of his mouth.

"Um… you know what, this can wait," Rupert muttered. Before anyone could reply, he left the room and left the group laughing.

"Poor guy, probably is scared for life." Anna muttered. Claire nodded and looked over at her brother.

"Oh for the love of God, Ryan Tyler Conaway, close your legs! I have a clear view of your panties! When did I get those…" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Ryan blushed and crossed his legs.

"Sorry, they were the only ones left. Why do you have a bright red and black lace thong?" Anna shook her head.

"It's a woman thing." Claire looked over at Jim and saw a smile fall from his face when Ryan crossed his legs.

"Ewww! You had a clear view of the thong and said nothing?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, but it's right in front of me! It's not like I'm cheating on my girlfriend! It's her thong!" Jim defended. Claire rolled her eyes and her brother shot him a nasty glare.

"That is nasty, my brother is in my body!" Jim gave a frustrated sigh and rubbed the back of his head.

"It still looks like you!" he muttered. Claire ran a hand through her hair and groaned.

"Ryan, you need to fix this like, yesterday…"

"I know Claire, I'm doing the best I can. If you hadn't thrown it at the wall it might not have been this bad." Claire pressed her lips together and crossed her arms. The moment it happened, both Jim and Anna scrunched their faces.

"Claire, stop making me look like a chick!" Ryan snapped.

"Then close your God damn legs! You are making me look like a whore!" Jim shook his head.

"I can't take this, I need to go back to work." Claire sighed and kissed his cheek out of habit, causing Jim to flinch and wipe the kiss off his cheek.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" Claire snapped, walking away from him and throwing a glass against the wall. Jim sighed and shook his head.

"I'm sorry…" Anna rolled her eyes.

"Just so you know, Claire is spending the night with you… and I mean like… Claire in Ryan's body Claire…" Jim turned pale.

"I don't know what's worse… Spending the night with Ryan in Claire's body, or Claire in Ryan's body. Either way I feel wrong…" Anna sighed and nodded.

"Well unless we spend the night together, I don't see another option, this will be less awkward."

"NO! You are not spending the night with him!" Ryan snapped. Claire looked over and shook her head, while Jim just raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry. I'm not spending the night with your girlfriend, and even if I was nothing would happen. Sorry, but I have a thing for a particular blonde…" Claire smiled, though dropped it when she realized she probably looked really stupid smiling like that in Ryan's body.

"Whatever…" Jim rolled his eyes.

"I need to go. Just… try and get that fixed as soon as possible." Ryan nodded and watched as he left.

"Jackass," he muttered when he left.

"Ryan, shut up and fix the damn device."

* * *

Claire laid down on her and Jim's couch, Rocky laying on her legs, and her hand over her head. Jim was currently in the shower and refused to even have her in the bedroom while he took it. She didn't blame him, but she hoped that things could be fixed soon. She was tired of being so distant with him. She was glad she was in Ryan's body, but was a little worried what was going on with her body. Not only were her hormones going crazy, but because she was so early in her pregnancy, she was incredibly horny. That was probably the main reason for her and Jim's long nights the past couple of months.

"Uh… Claire?" a voice asked. Claire looked up to see Jim looking at her funny.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Do you uh… need a pillow or something?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No, I need this to be over. This fucking sucks…" Jim nodded and sat on a chair not too far from the couch.

"Once your brother fixes this, it won't be so bad." Claire sighed and pressed her lips together. She would rather have her body back and be pregnant then be like this. It was horrible.

"God I hope so… god only knows what's going on while he's in my body." Jim paused before raising an eyebrow.

"You think they're doing some girl on girl action?" he asked. Claire grabbed a pillow and chucked it at him, hitting him harder than she meant.

"You are such a pig." Jim laughed and shook his head.

"I would say I love you, but I feel weird saying it to your brothers body. So I'll just say I love Claire Conaway." Claire smiled.

"I'm sure she loves you too."

* * *

Anna smiled as she saw Ryan examining Claire's clothes.

"You don't think she'll mind if I just dress in my normal clothes, do you?" He asked, picking up a pair of his boxers and basketball shorts.

"She's probably already prancing around in a skirt or something," Anna said with a grin, watching Ryan strip down.

"I hate this body…" Ryan mumbled, sliding his boxers on. Anna nodded as she turned away.

"Ryan, perhaps you can finish changing in the bathroom. It's really weird to watch your sister change," Anna reminded him. Ryan nodded, but his face fell.

"But it's me, not her," he mumbled, gathering up the rest of his clothes. Anna bit the inside of her lip. She knew it was hard for him, to be Claire, but it was hard for Anna too.

"Well it looks like her and I'm not a lesbian," she told him as he entered the bathroom. He said nothing and he closed the door. Anna waited a few minutes, not hearing anything. When a few minutes turned into ten minutes, she began to worry. Fifteen minutes after Ryan had entered the bathroom, Anna rose from her seat and crossed the room to the bathroom. Once she was close enough to it, she could her sobbing coming from inside. "Ryan?"

"Go away!" A high pitched feminine voice cried out. Anna sighed and leaned against the door, feeling her heart break into two pieces. Anna had been pushing him away because he was in his sister's body and it wasn't right. The hormones of the pregnancy probably weren't helping either.

"Come on, babe. Please let me in…" the door refused to open and Anna gave a long sigh. She pressed her head against the door and frowned.

"Ryan, I'm sorry. I know this is hard, I know… I'm sorry." The door unlocked and she walked in, seeing her boyfriend sitting against the tub with his knees pulled against his chest. Anna sat down next to him and placed her head on his shoulder, instantly missing how his shoulder was no longer strong and sturdy.

"I can't take this. All these damn hormones. You have no idea how hard it is, to be either extremely sad, or extremely mad, or even extremely horny! I want my body back!" Ryan cried. Anna pulled him closer and let him rest his head on her shoulder.

"Just breathe, you'll fix this. I know you will. It's going to be hard, but things will be better than ever and you won't have to worry about it." Ryan calmed his breathing down as Anna smoothed over his hair.

"I love you," he whispered. Anna frowned.

"I know, but it feels weird coming from your sister," she confessed. He gave a small sigh and raised his head to her neck, taking a small breath.

"You smell amazing," he told her. Anna frowned further but didn't say anything. She knew he was stressed enough as it was, and her pushing him away would just make things worse. She just continued to run his hand over his back and let her mind drift. She knew she was in love with him, even now when he was in Claire's body, she loved him. After another minute she felt him move closer to her and she had to force herself not to push him away. She knew it was just him trying to be closer to her.

"Ryan… you can fix this thing… right?" she asked. He paused before answering.

"I'm pretty sure… it's just going to take some time… I'm close though," he replied, moving his head a little bit closer to her neck absentmindedly. Anna sighed. It was still her boyfriend, no matter what. So what if it was weird for her? It was nothing compared to what he was going through.

"Listen Ryan, I won't lie. This is really weird. However, I know that you really need this so for tonight only, I'll do anything you need me to," Anna told him, not completely sure if she meant what she said one hundred percent. But it seemed to lighten Ryan's spirits which made her feel a bit better too.

"All the way?" Anna sighed.

"I'd really prefer not, but if you really want to…" Ryan scrunched his face at Anna's words and pulled away.

"You don't care about me at all!" He cried out as he rose to his feet. Anna watched in shock as he exited the bathroom and headed back into the bedroom. Anna rose to her feet as well and followed him into the other room. When she entered the bedroom again, she saw Ryan curled up on the bed, not leaving any space for his partner.

"Ryan, I do care about you, it's just-"

"I really need you to not sleep in bed with me tonight. That's all I ask," Ryan demanded, his back turned to her and his voice quivering as tears threatened to fall. Anna wanted to fight back, to try to knock some sense into her boyfriend, but she knew it was useless.

"Okay Ryan, if that's what you want," she said hopelessly, heading for the couch.

* * *

"I really need to fix this. I can't do it anymore!" Ryan said, sitting in his office and continually messing with the device. Claire sat in the back of the room twirling around in the chair, trying her hardest not to die of boredom.

"I'll say, who the hell dressed you? You look like a gender confused girl!" Claire said, looking at his way too baggy jeans and his six sizes too big tee shirt.

"Blame it on the pregnancy," he said. Claire rolled her eyes and watched as she saw her brother continue to mess with the small little toy looking thing.

"If this is what Riley and Griffin are trying to make, what do you think they would use it for?" she asked. Ryan paused to think it over.

"I have no idea… maybe to like… impersonate someone. Switch bodies and try and take over the ship." Claire thought it over for a moment before she shrugged.

"I don't think they are that smart," she confessed. Ryan shrugged.

"Well, maybe one of his lackey's are. Like… that Klingon, or that Romulan…"

"Nuhir…" Claire said softly, or as softly as Ryan's voice could get. Ryan looked over at his sister before frowning, not sure what he was going to say to her. Instead he turned back to the device. Claire looked down at the desk and waited for him to fix the trinket.

"I think I almost got it. I just need a few more minutes. Then I won't have to be pregnant anymore," Ryan muttered.

"No, then I'll have to be pregnant…" Claire muttered.

"When are you going to tell Jim?" Ryan asked. Claire rolled her eyes and pressed her lips together.

"When you guys stop bugging me about it and let me tell him when I want." Before Ryan could say anything, the device began to beep and both siblings looked at it.

"Did I fix it?" He asked looking down at the table. Claire could still see her body and rolled her eyes.

"I don't know, you tell me? Are you back in your own body?" She snapped. Ryan looked down and then back up at Claire who was glaring down at him.

"No…"

"Then no, you didn't fix it," she snapped. Ryan sighed and he leaned back in his chair.

"Damnit…" he mumbled. The two siblings sat like that for what felt like hours, but was really only a few minutes.

"So any other ideas?" Claire asked hesitantly. She could see her brother hard in thought and hope the intense concentrated look on his face wasn't going to cause early wrinkling.

"I have one…" he mumbled, going back to work on the machine.

"Care to explain?" She asked as she watched him return to work.

"Jim mentioned that the device put off a radioactive wave of energy when we were switched. If I can get the machine to match that wave again, maybe it'll switch us back," he explained. Claire furrowed her eyebrows and looked at her brother.

"All I heard was blah, blah, blah, it'll switch us back. So go ahead and do what you need to do," she said. Ryan nodded and turned back to work.

* * *

Anna ignored the looks of her coworkers as she began to pretty much run the security level. With her boyfriend currently out of commission, someone had to make sure things were going smoothly somewhere.

"Hey, Rodriguez, what the hell are you doing?" she snapped. He looked over at her and then back to the man sitting in front of her.

"Beating Dorian at his own game, he thinks he's so tough," he snapped, trying to beat the other man at an arm wrestle. Anna rolled her eyes and walked over.

"Get back to work, you are supposed to do a routine walkthrough," she snapped.

"Who died and made you boss?" Dorian asked. Turning back to his opponent.

"Commander Conaway is out of commission, he's put me in charge, now get to work," Anna snapped, pushing them apart. Rodriguez stood up and glared at her.

"Just because you are sleeping with the boss does not mean you can push us around," he snapped. She crossed her arms and kept her glare stern.

"Shut the hell up, you know I can take you in a fight, so don't push me. So shut the fuck up and get to work!" she snapped. Rodriguez glared and turned away, mumbling some words in Spanish under his breath. "Who you calling bitch?" she snapped.

"No one!" he snapped. Anna took a deep breath and began walking to her boyfriends office when a bright light peaked from the cracks. She raised an eyebrow and cautiously knocked on the door.

"Ryan?" There was no response from inside. Anna felt her heart race at the thought of something happening. Not wasting any time, Anna took a step back and kicked the door down, revealing both Claire and Ryan on the floor. Anna ran to her Claire's side first since that was the body that Ryan was in, her mind racing with the possibilities of what could have happened.

"Ryan? Ryan, come on. You need to wake up! Please, just open your eyes," she pleaded, supporting his head in her hands. After a few minutes, the feminine eyes that Anna had started to associate with her boyfriend opened up and confused grey eyes blinked back at her. Without thinking, Anna leaned down to capture her boyfriend's lips, even if he was still in Claire's body. At this point, she didn't care. She was just happy that he was okay. Anna didn't even get a chance to deepen the kiss when she was thrown away.

"Ryan is back in his own body now!" Claire snapped, wiping at her mouth. Anna felt her cheeks go red in embarrassment.

"Oh… sorry about that, Claire," Anna mumbled apologetically. Claire nodded and pointed to her brother's body.

"Well, don't look at me. Go wake him up," she snapped, not too pleased at waking up with another girl making out with her. Anna nodded and crossed the room to the real Ryan, only to find him already awake.

"You know, I don't mind you making out with girl's too much. In fact, I kind of like it. However, can you not make out with my sister anymore? That's just wrong to enjoy," he told her. Anna smacked him across the face, but before he could say another word, she fell into his lap and crushed her lips against his. Ryan replied and ran his fingers through her hair, pulling her even closer.

"Okay, see you guys at lunch, use a condom," Claire said. Anna and Ryan didn't reply as she began to run her hands down his chest and to the hem of his shirt.

"I missed you," Anna whispered. Ryan smiled and kissed her once more.

"I missed you too."

* * *

"Back so soon?" Alex asked. Claire nodded and grabbed a chart.

"Yes, and no snide remarks. I told Ryan, so get off my back for a while," she snapped. Alex rolled his eyes and began typing a few things into the computer. Claire began reading over a chart before Liam came over.

"You're back at work?" he asked. Claire looked over and nodded.

"Yeah, for now. Where is McCoy?" she asked.

"Jim asked him to take a day off, the poor guy has been over working himself like crazy," Liam muttered. Claire nodded and ran a hand through her hair, glad it was her hair once more.

"Ugh, I'm glad I'm back at work, and that the nausea has settled," she said.

"When are you going to-"

"Liam, don't bother. She's being stubborn again," Alex muttered. Claire nodded.

"Every time one of you asks me about Jim, I'm going to ask you when the two of you are going to get back together," Claire snapped. Liam paused and glared at her.

"I liked you better when you didn't have a parasite in you," he snapped. She stuck her tongue out at him and turned back at her charts just as someone walked into sickbay. Both Liam and Alex left as Jim walked up to the medical station and looked down at her. After a minute of silence he spoke.

"Ryan?" he whispered. Claire rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"No, he fixed the device, I'm Claire again…" he let out a deep breath.

"Thank God," he muttered, leaning down and capturing his lips with hers. Claire moaned in response and moved closer to him, her hormones getting the better of her.

"Jim, I really want this, but I'm on shift. I can't leave," she breathed. Jim looked around before taking her hand and leading her to the supply closet. "Jim!"

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," he said, pulling her in the supply closet and closing the door.

* * *

Griffin put back another shot of tequila as he felt a pang of guilt in his chest. It was merely a pang, but enough to motivate him into pouring another shot. Harry snorted from his position on the couch.

"We're not having a competition to see who can drink the fastest. You can slow down, cowboy," he said, cradling a beer in his hand. Griffin vaguely heard the ogre of a man's words, but ignored them as he put another shot back.

"We'll be seeing them all again soon," he stated. Perhaps it was more to himself than Harry, but Griffin felt it all as a surreal moment in life. He wanted it to be over and done with already. The thought of Ryan Conaway not only sparked an unhealthy amount of rage and anger, but it also increased that pang in his chest. Sometimes, it was a small little pinch. Other times, it felt like someone reached into his chest and crushed his heart in one swift motion. He hated him. He hated everything he stood for and everything he'd done in his life. But he missed what they used to have too. Griffin knew better than to dwell on the past, but he couldn't help it.

"I can't wait to see that faggot again. I'll fucking cut his dick off and smack him across the face with it," Harry said with a chuckled, crushing his can between his giant fingers and grabbing another can. Griffin watched the barbaric motion and sighed. Harry was all that he had left of his old life. Riley was no friend and the rest of the scorned man's crew hated him.

"I'm kind of getting sick of you referring to him that way," Griffin mumbled, going for the tequila bottle again. Harry raised an eyebrow as he opened his beer.

"Don't tell me you're going all soft again. Liam is nothing more than a piece of shit traitor faggot," he snapped. Griffin felt his grip tighten around his shot glass as he filled it with a shaky hand.

"My brother was gay," he muttered before taking another shot. The alcohol was already starting to make him feel tipsy, but it's full effects had yet to kick in. The liquid burned as it slid down his throat, making him feel happy for a moment. That quick moment of burning pain.

"You had a brother?" Harry asked stupidly.

"He was killed by some Romulans back on Earth," Griffin said in an annoyed tone. Harry nodded dumbly and took a long swig of his beer.

"Liam is still a stupid little queer," he mumbled. Griffin jumped from his couch and tossed the shot glass across the room.

"I don't like him, I don't like any of them. I don't appreciate the way you're referring to his sexuality. I didn't like it back on the Berlin and I don't like it now. As it stands, you're my only friend left and if I have to hang out with you, I'd prefer it if you stop using those words to describe Liam," Griffin yelled. The release of his anger granted him a momentary wave of happiness, but it disappeared almost as soon as it came.

"Stupid?" He asked, purposely being a smartass. Griffin narrowed his eyes at the smug look on Harry's face as he flipped the coffee table in front of them.

"You know, with as much as you talk about Liam, one might think you have the hots for him," Griffin snapped before storming out of the room.

* * *

Jim walked in his room and walked over to his desk. He had made a point to leave the bridge a little earlier so he could meet Claire back here in time. As part of a romantic evening, they decided that they both would meet back at the room before going to the kitchens to make dinner. It was there where Claire was going to tell him something important, though her had no idea what. Before that happened, however, he had to finish his work. He quickly went through his messages and ran a hand through his hair before smiling, knowing he picked that up from Claire. The past few months had been crazy, since Rocky turned into a human, to a couple weeks ago where Claire and her brother had switched bodies. He shook his head at that memory and looked at a picture on his desk and smiled.

It was a picture of him and Claire back at Starfleet, right before they left to pack their bags for Iowa. They had met for lunch and on their way back they ran into Liam, who happened to have a camera. The first picture was of him pulling her close and them both smiling, the next was of the both of them kissing and smiling. Liam had set up the frame so that the first picture would change into the second and it went back and forth. It had to be his favorite picture of him and her.

He shook his head and looked at his messages. A few were from Starfleet, a couple were from other captains, one was from his mother, but one really caught his eye. It was unmarked and came from an unknown sender. He wondered how I got past security, but didn't think much of it. He simply opened the message and let his eyes read over it.

_Getting comfortable? I hope so. It's been so long since you've had to worry about me. You probably think you are safe in your little spaceship, that you have nothing to do but sit back and explore random planets without a care in the world. All you do is sit back and command your crew while your blonde little 'princess' sits on your lap. Be a shame if all that was ripped out from under you. How horrible would it be to have your ship taken from you? How guilty would you feel, if your crew mates had to suffer for your pigheadedness? How devastated would you be, if the love of your life was suddenly ripped from you and suffered till her death? Enjoy your little ship while you have it. Be kind to your crew while they are still there. And cherish the moments you have with 'her' while you still have them. Till next we meet. -RK_

Jim was silent as he read the message over a few times. Though the message wasn't signed, the initials were enough. He knew in the pit of his stomach who it was from, and he didn't like it one bit. What was going to happen to his ship? His crew? Claire? Anger rose from the pit of his stomach as he remembered the last time Riley was near her. He recalled the dead look in her face, how broken she was, how lost she felt. He wasn't going to let her feel that way ever again.

His train of thought broke when he heard the door open an Claire walk in, Rocky not far behind her. Rocky quickly ran to his corner of the room and into the small dog house Claire replicated for him, and Claire chuckled.

"Silly dog," she muttered. Jim put his data pad down and looked up at her. It may have been from the previous message, but he could've sworn she was glowing. He stood up and put his hands in his pockets, his mind reeling. He should tell her about the message, but he didn't want her to be worried. He wanted to sit back and think about the threat, but he couldn't get his mind to focus.

"Jim, you alright?" Claire asked, placing her bag down. Jim looked up at her and their eyes met. He may not have known what to do about the message, but he did know one thing. He knew he wanted her. He rushed forward and practically shoved her against the wall. She gave a small grunt of pain before he silenced her by giving her a kiss against her lips.

Claire struggled at first to keep her lips moving as fast as his, but eventually caught up and joined him in the heated kiss. His hands caressed down her body and pulled her waist closer to his, while his tongue slipped through her lips to gently massage her own. She pulled him closer and felt him reach behind and unzipped her dress.

"Jim," she moaned, pulling away from his lips. He immediately attached them to her neck as he almost ripped her uniform off of her. She responded by arching her back and pulling his shirt off of him. He shrugged out of his shirt and moved up and pressed his forehead against his.

"I love you. I love you," he repeated. Claire pulled away and locked eyes with him.

"I love you too…" she whispered. He quickly undid his belt and attached his lips to hers. She almost frowned into the kiss. It was so needing and almost desperate but so full of love that she couldn't help but get lost in it.

"Jim, are you alright?" she asked breaking away. He nodded and dropped his pants.

"I'm just fine… he whispered. Claire didn't question any further, she just let him take her.

* * *

Claire took a deep breath and she looked over at her boyfriend, who had just caught his breath and turned to face her. His eyes were a deep blue, almost as if he were lost in thought. Claire pressed her lips together and tried to find the energy to ask him what was wrong, but most of it was spent the last few hours. Jim moved closer to her and let his hand trace over her cheek. The note got to him more than he wished. The last few hours had been the most passionate he had spent with her, and he didn't regret a minute of it.

"Claire, I don't know how to say this any further… I love you. I always will. I'm not going to stop and I'm not going to let anything break us apart or hurt you," he said seriously. Claire furrowed her eyebrows and turned so she was facing him, her hands reaching up to hold his face in her hands.

"Jim, why are you talking like this? What's wrong?" she whispered. He shook his head and looked down, but pulled her closer.

"I just… I want you to know, incase anything were to happen to me," he said. Claire sighed and looked into his eyes.

"I love you too, James. I always will. I hope to God nothing happens to you because the moment it does, I would die." Jim frowned and kissed her deeply before pressing his forehead against hers. They stayed like this for a while before he felt her slowly drift into sleep. He pressed his lips to her forehead and smiled.

"I'm going to marry you one day, I hope you know that…" Claire kept her head down but opened her eyes. Jim must not have seen her because he slowly began to drift into a sleep as well. She took a deep breath and when she finally heard him begin to snore she looked up at his sleeping face. After a moment she finally spoke.

"I'm pregnant." Jim was silent as he continued to sleep.

* * *

Riley looked over the box that Griffin had given him earlier and smiled. After all their traveling to get the parts, the deal they cut with that stupid trader, and all the tension on the ship it was almost time. They were going to confront the _Enterprise_ once and for all and Riley was going to get his revenge on James T. Kirk. Griffin had spent all his time and efforts in this box. They had tested it earlier that day on a rouge Klingon ship and it had proven successful. Now all that was left was to do the same to the _Enterprise. _

"Sir?" A voice asked from the door to his room. Riley looked up and sighed.

"Not now, Nuhir. Go prepare for our meeting with the Enterprise," he ordered. The man nodded.

"Yes, sir." He turned around and left Riley alone. He sighed and sat down on his couch, taking a sip from his glass of wine. He was finally going to get the upper hand on Jim and it felt good. His wife was gone and it was all Jim's fault. His life was gone. His will to live. So he was going to do the only thing he knew how to do. He was going to fight. And he was going to kill. The wine tasted bittersweet, but Riley drank it anyway. His life was bittersweet.

* * *

Ryan smiled as he continued to happily work through all the paperwork on his desk. True, he hated paperwork. However, he was still enjoying the pleasure of having his own body back. It had been a couple weeks since he returned to being Ryan in Ryan's body, but he was finally getting used to being in a male's body again. A non-pregnant male.

"Ryan, good to have you back to work," Jim said as he entered Ryan's room wearing a smile that mirrored Ryan's. Jim was just as happy to have Ryan back his own body and Claire back in hers. However, his reasons were a lot more selfish.

"Good to be back to work," he said, his smile widening. Jim nodded and motioned for him to get up.

"We need you to the transporter deck. We entered Klingon airspace not long ago to answer a distress signal," Jim explained. Ryan rose from his desk, his happiness increasing if possible. Anything was better than paperwork.

"So who sent out the distress signal?" Ryan asked as they crossed through the security deck towards the lift.

"We don't know. We're about to arrive at our destination," Jim explained as they entered the lift. Jim hit the correct button to get to the transporter deck. They rode in silence, but Ryan's content smile didn't leave his face. Even his minor grunge against Jim wasn't going to ruin his good day.

Jim just let his mind wander as they approached the transporter deck. He had a nagging feeling like he was forgetting something important, or if he was told something but he really wasn't paying attention. His thoughts went back to the note he read before and frowned.

"You alright Captain?" Ryan asked. Jim shrugged.

"Long night," he said, a small smirk on his face. The response was so automatic that he forgot that he was talking to his girlfriends brother and paled, but didn't respond. Ryan took a deep breath and tried not to over react. Today was a good day.

"Work can be a bitch," Ryan replied. Jim furrowed his eyebrows but nodded.

"Yeah… work." Jim was glad when the doors finally opened and Spock greeted them.

"Captain, we have scanned the area and have found nothing except a box." Jim raised an eyebrow.

"A box?" he asked. Spock nodded and walked with him and Ryan to the transporter pad.

"We were waiting for your command to beam it aboard," he explained. Jim turned toward Ryan and looked at him expectantly.

"What do you think?" he asked. Ryan sighed heavily before shrugging.

"I guess we should check it out. It's not on Klingon territory, is it?" Ryan asked. Scotty shook his head.

"No, it's just outside." Jim paused before giving a nod.

"Beam it aboard," he ordered. Scotty nodded and pressed a few buttons on his computer before a small box appeared in front of them. After a few minutes Ryan stepped forward, Jim right behind him.

"What do you think it is?" Jim asked. Ryan shook his head.

"I have no idea… I think it opens…" Jim pressed his lips together, suddenly having a bad feeling about it. Spock was the next to speak.

"We will never know what it is unless we open it." Jim nodded and turned to Ryan.

"Open it." Ryan gave a small nod before pressing a button on the side. The minute he did, a high pitched sound echoed through the ship, causing everyone to cover their ears. A minute later a red light shot from the box and surrounded them. Seconds later, everyone began to feel light headed, then everything went black.

**

* * *

**

Meanwhile

Claire looked down at Liam as he continued to write a few things in the computer while she was reading them off the charts, though her mind was not on her work. The night before, while wonderful, haunted her slightly. She and Jim had many nights of hot sex, but last night was different, last night was more needing. He held her as if it was going to be the last time he was going to hold her, and the sex went from passionate 'I need you right this second no questions asked' to 'I need to show you how much I love you.' And though she liked both versions of sex, it was strange to see them coming from her boyfriend so quickly.

"Kevin Fisher Junior has a check-up next week, the request just came up," Liam told her. Claire nodded and reached forward for the young infants chart, flinching in the process.

"You alright?" Alex asked, noticing the flinch. Claire nodded and used her other hand to rub her shoulder.

"It's just really hurting today for some reason." Alex frowned and began to gently massage her shoulder. Claire sighed and enjoyed the wave of relief that passed through her. It wasn't uncommon for her shoulder to hurt, especially after surgery. When she finished Anna's heart transplant, her shoulder hurt so bad Jim was icing it and massaging it for a couple of days. However, it hadn't hurt since then and she was a bit worried it was hurting so bad now.

"Must be all that hot sex you've been having," Liam told her. Claire rolled her eyes and kept enjoying the feeling of her shoulder being relaxed, though there was still a dull pain. After she thought about it for a minute she looked at her gay boyfriend.

"You think? I mean… not to give too much information but I guess Jim and I went… overboard last night. When I say we were up all night, I'm not exaggerating. I got home at 1900 and we didn't fall asleep until 0200." Liam raised his eyebrows.

"It's a possibility, but I don't think it would effect you too much," he confessed. Claire nodded and frowned when Alex pulled his hand away.

"You should get a check up. Not only should you check out your shoulder, you should check out your parasite. You're going to be three months soon," Alex pointed out. Claire nodded and looked down at her stomach.

"You think I'm showing?" she asked. Liam looked over and scanned her stomach before shrugging.

"Maybe a little, that just might be a little bit of fat though, the way you are eating. You seriously have been slacking when it comes to the gym," Liam observed. Claire frowned and nodded.

"I know… I should probably start soon. Or do something." Alex shook his head and placed a hand on her back. Claire quickly grabbed her chart before Alex could and began to look through it.

"Come on, let's just get you checked out real quick." Before Claire could reply a high pitched sound echoed through sickbay and she dropped her chart to cover her ears. Everyone else did the same and looked around.

"What the hell?" Liam shouted. A second later a red light covered sickbay and Claire began to feel light headed. Alex, who was also growing faint, grabbed a hold of her arm and helped her ease to the ground, afraid that she would hurt the baby. Claire felt herself eased on the floor and the sound of an evil laugh before blacking out.

_

* * *

_

REVIEW REPLY TIME! HUZZAH!

_**Allimba  
**__**Jeck: **__We figured you guys would like that. I wonder what Jim will say? Oh wait, I already know. Mawhahahahahahaha.  
__**Raxsah: **__I know, I'm so excited to see Jim's reaction. Worst part is, you have to wait until we post the chapter where he find out. Hahahahaa! Sorry, I'm slightly evil this week._

_**Smiley  
**__**Raxsah: **__Claire's pregnant? Oh wait. Yes, yes she is. We're not giving away any information on what she and Jim will do, if he even finds out. You'll just have to wait and see. And I wasn't going to let Jeck kill of Anna, She's one of my top three favorite OC's.  
__**Jeck: **__Indeed, Claire does show possible signs of having a child. Do you concur, Raxsah? I'm sure she does. You'll have to wait to see what Claire and Jim decide to do. And yeah, like we'd kill Anna off. We like her too much. _

_**(Insert Name here)  
**__**Jeck: **__We're just hardcore like that. I'd like to think we're pretty BA (at least I am :D). As you can see, with the shift to family oriented things, we're starting to come to a close. Sadly. We've still got a fair amount of chapters left. I'm think perhaps will end up around 30-ish? Maybe. Or not.  
__**Raxsah: **__I doubt 30-ish, since I have already stated the number above. We figured they have been on the Enterprise almost two years now, it's time for them to take life seriously. You know? Especially since they are in some serious relationships. As for future events, that is all to come soon my dear. Just hang in there._

_**Lintered  
**__**Raxsah: **__Hahahahhaaaa, I'd like to credit myself with the first line. I have major skills. Yeah, no evil plots at this time. Totally made up for it in this chapter. We can't go for too long without being evil. It's just not in our nature.  
__**Jeck: **__Yay! We're being quoted! Trust me, Raxsah and I had all sorts of fun writing the dialogue for this story. That's funny since _ (blank person) said it was pretty "hard" and you're saying it's pretty mild. Hmmm… I likes it! :D_

_**amberhathaway  
**__**Jeck: **__As if this story wasn't already crazy?  
__**Raxsah: **__For real. Major hormones flying all over the place. I'm pretty sure this chapter just proved how crazy we probably are._

_**SWfangirl21  
**__**Raxsah: **__I love Combos, they are like… amazing. Perfect munchies food too. I'm pretty sure a stoner made them up. We put Ryan through so much shit. I swear if the guy was alive he's be killing us. Hahahaa, not even joking. Alex and Liam are amazing. Seriously, I think they steal the show sometimes. We've inadvertently made them the favorite couple of the story. Yeah, idk, McCoy is… McCoy. Hahahaa, best to leave it at that. I wish I would've went back and wrote a drunk Claire, since I don't think I ever have. Hahahaa, that would've been fun. Yay for Babies! I think everyone knew that Claire was gonna get preggers, just because we hinted at it so many times. Again, congrats on the niece and let us know when you want us to write a story, kay?  
__**Jeck: **__Combos are pretty bitchin'. I just prefer traditional old Chex Mix. Trust me, we're not going to do anything else THAT bad to Anna again. Anytime soon, at least. ;D Liam and Alex are PERFECT for couple drama. McCoy is a bit bipolar when we write him. That's okay though. Don't worry McCoy, I'm bipolar too. :D YAY BAR NIGHTS! I mean… I have no idea what bar nights are like. Congrats on being an aunt. I love babies! :D They're so cute and small and disgusting, but cute! Well of course! We all knew Claire was going to be pregnant. We all knew, even if we didn't come outright to say it. _

_**Jeck: **__Here's a nice short update followed by a long wait. Sorry to do this to you guys, but we didn't really have a choice.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes. We were especially mean with the cliffhanger, but it was the only place we could really leave it to be honest.  
__**Jeck: **__This is truth. But we're sure you'll understand. Not that you have a choice. But you should all review! SPAM REVIEW SPAM REVIEW SPAM REVIEW SPAM!  
__**Raxsah: **__Spam sucks. But we'll take what we can get. Just, don't try and kill us via internet. That's not too fun to deal with.  
__**Jeck: **__Especially in my weakened state. Raxsah will have to protect me via internet.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, but I have major skillz when it comes to defending myself Via Internet. Oh I have made people cry. Do not test me! Hahahaaa, But seriously, hoped you like the update. Since there won't be one for a while.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah. We'll be back two Sundays from now. Sorry for the wait. If you have a problem, you can take it up with my gallbladder. It'll be chilling in a jar until I go back up to college. Some girl down the hall wants to smoke it. O.o  
__**Raxsah: **__I don't ask questions.  
__**Jeck: **__ZOMBIE SEX FACE! :D_


	26. I Will Not Bow

_**Raxsah:** Once upon a time, there was an amazing little story, written by two amazing people, who will one day rule the world and bring world piece and tons of chocolate for all to eat!_  
_**Jeck:** Except for me, since I can't eat chocolate. Or bacon. But that's okay. BUT WE'RE BACK!_  
_**Raxsah:** Yes! After a long week of stress and recovering, and doing drugs. Wait, what?_  
_**Jeck: **Actually, I have been. But I took the last painkiller this morning. And I am sad… D:_  
_**Raxsah:** Awww, no more painkillers. It's okay, we have story, and then we are working on a story, and we need to start on Swfangirls story. Damn…. We gotta list. O.o_  
_**Jeck: **Well, it keeps me busy while I'm home and you're a school at least. And it'll be quite nice for our readers, I'm sure._  
_**Raxsah:** Very nice. I'm glad your home. That makes this part so much easier than sending it back and forth. That's for sure._  
_**Jeck:** This is truth, although I think we were finally getting the hang of sending it back and forth via AIM. It's still a bitch though. BUT I'M HOME! And all is right in the world again!_  
_**Raxsah:** YAY! I iz happy. Life is right again! Squeeeeee!_  
_**Jeck:** SUPER DANCE PARTY (/orgy) :D_  
_**Raxsah:** Whoot! Anyway! Only two more chapters left? It's almost unbelievable, isn't it? I'm almost sad. Almost. Hahahahaaa._  
_**Jeck: **This chapter, the next chappie, and the epilogue. The end is near! MAWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_  
_**Raxsah: **Don't worry, it's not the end of the world. Just the end of this world. Hahahahaaaa. Then we shall leave you, and come back with a brand new one! Squee!_  
_**Jeck:** And a mini one for SWfangirl21. MINI WORLD! But not to worry, we've still got one more contest out there for the most reviews._  
_**Raxsah:** That we will be willing to write a multi-chapter story, no more than three though. We don't want to get carried away now, do we?_  
_**Jeck:** Oh what the hell, let's just have another contest too! At the end of our story, if you can name all the songs we've used in our story, you can win… SOMETHING! :D_  
_**Raxsah:** Well, all except chapter 3, since that is technically not the title of a song. However, bonus points if you actually find what song it's from._  
_**Jeck**: Anyone can go for that one, even if they've already won something from us (aka SWfangirl21 and Parallel Days). Just send us a PM with the list of songs. We should probably start this soon. We made you guys wait long enough…_  
_**Raxsah:** Yes, thanks to everyone who added this to their alerts and favorites list. We appreciate it. Hopefully this chapter will make up for the absence. No cliffhanger in this one. Just so you know. We decided to be nice today._  
_**Jeck: **So enjoy. I'm sure it'll get ride of that itchy withdraw feeling you've had all week. :D_

* * *

**Chapter 26: I Will Not Bow**

* * *

Riley smiled as he watched all motion on the _Enterprise_ stop. They had been monitoring the ship since it had entered the area and their cloaking device had been up since the distress signal had gone out.

"Sir, we're ready to move in," Nuhir informed him. Griffin stood emotionless next to Riley's chair, just watching the scene play out before him. A few times, Riley had thought perhaps the man was double-crossing them, but the anger and rage in his eyes were unquestionable.

"Alright, lock onto them with out tractor beam and let's get out of here," Riley ordered. Nuhir nodded and locked onto the _Enterprise_ with their tractor beam. There was no struggle and no problems as Riley's ship blasted off with the_ Enterprise_ in tow.

* * *

"Who goes where?" Tre'gok asked. Riley stepped down from the transporter pad and smiled evilly when he saw his nemesis passed out on the floor. Griffin was right behind him, an evil smirk on his face at the disheveled appearance Ryan had."These two are to go to the places we have asked. The rest go in the station brig. Make sure someone is watching them at all times." Tre'gok nodded and began directing men, while Griffin walked around the transporter room.

"Nuhir, check the rest of the ship and divide people up." Nuhir nodded then paused.

"Sir…" he trailed off and looked at his leader. Riley watched the Romulan in front of him. He knew what he wanted and he knew that he wasn't just going to ask for it. After a moment Riley looked down at Jim.

"If you find her, she's yours…" He said. Nuhir gave a small nod and took off. Griffin looked up and raised an eyebrow. He had a feeling he knew who he was talking about, but never asked. He almost felt bad for the girl, almost. Not really.

"You have your man, what will you do with him?" Riley asked. Griffin pressed his lips together before his gaze turned cold.

"Kill him," he answered plainly. Riley gave a nod before smirking and turning toward him.

"Don't kill him too quickly; make sure he suffers for what he did. That is the only way you're going to get satisfaction out of it." Griffin nodded and watched as one of the men went to pick up Jim.

"Where should we put him, sir?" the young man asked.

"Put him on the Enterprise bridge." The man nodded and Griffin furrowed his eyebrows.

"The bridge?" he asked. Riley nodded.

"What better way to kill a Captain, then on his bridge?" Riley turned around and began walking out, not before he stopped and turned toward the young engineer.

"The captain always goes down with his ship." Nuhir gave a frustrated sigh as he tried to kick the doors down. This was the only room they had yet to search and they hadn't been able to open it. He gave another strong kick to the door, and then let out a string of Romulan curses when it refused to break.

"Sir, I can use a skeleton key," an ensign suggested. Nuhir turned today him.

"A what?"

"A skeleton key, it's a code that can unlock all doors. Usually it works," he suggested.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Nuhir asked. The man nodded and quickly opened the door. Nuhir smiled and took two steps in the room before hearing a low growl. He raised a scarred eyebrow before demanded the lights turned on. When they did, he wished her has brought his weapon. He backed up a bit when he saw the 120 pound dog snarling at him, and clenched his fists. He may have been a big bad Romulan, but he was deathly afraid of dogs, and this one seemed to have a bone to pick with him.

"Shit…" he hissed. The dog growled before lunging and latching its teeth onto his arm. Nuhir fell backwards and it took all of his men to finally pull the damn mutt off of him.

"Shoot it!" He shouted. Everyone pulled their pistol out of their holsters, but the dog didn't stay around for long.

"He's getting away!" a Lieutenant shouted. Nuhir stood up and held onto his slightly bleeding arm. He knew there was going to be a scar.

"Find that damn thing and kill it! Now!" Nuhir snapped. A few men ran off after it, while one man stayed behind to help the injured Romulan.

"Are you alright sir?" he asked. Nuhir shot him a look.

"I thought that bastard Griffin said it worked!" he snapped.

"It must not work on animals sir, we never did try it on them." Nuhir sighed and began walking down the hall. He better get a good consolation prize for this shit.

* * *

Tre'gok slammed the last cell shut. It had taken about an hour to spilt them up into the cells and remove all their weapons, but it was done.

"Hey buddy, mind if I take one of the hostages?" Harry asked as he entered the brig. Tre'gok's nostrils flared, but he nodded.

"Hurry up. The gas will be wearing off soon," he instructed. No sooner had the words left his lips, a bunch of groans echoed through the room. Tre'gok and Harry turned to the cells to see people waking up from their forced slumber.

"Where are we?"

"What happened?"

"Who are they?"

"Shit, what's going on?"

"SILENCE!" Tre'gok bellowed, silencing the many confused _Enterprise _crew members. Harry smiled.

"Nice," he stated. Tre'gok didn't smile.

"Who do you want?" He asked, getting straight to the point. Harry smiled.

"Where are you keeping the doctors?"

* * *

Claire sat up in her cell, seeing the confused faces of her fellow doctors. Alex stood near the cell door, glaring at the Klingon running the show. Spike was leaning against the wall, his eyes narrowed. Sophie was looking over the still unconscious Jackson while Liam looked down at Claire.

"I'm glad to see you're awake," he whispered. Claire nodded as her eyes scanned the scene before them.

"What's going on?" She asked. Liam shook his head.

"We don't know. Everyone else just started waking up a few minutes ago. You haven't missed much," he told her. Alex looked back over to where Claire and Liam were and nodded. His focus was on assessing the situation.

"Where's Jim? Ryan?" Liam shook his head.

"I don't know. The only people in our cell are from sickbay, except McCoy. He wasn't in sickbay when whatever happened, so he's not here," he explained. Claire nodded and unconsciously moved her hand to her stomach as she noticed Tre'gok.

"Liam… I think we're on Riley's ship…" She said breathlessly as Tre'gok crossed the room with a man she didn't recognize. However, from the look on Liam's face, he did recognize the man. "Liam?"

"That's Harry… I knew him from the Berlin…" he explained. Alex looked back over at the pair and his gaze harden.

"What the fuck do you guys want?" He spat when the two men stopped in front of their cell. Harry pointed towards Liam who paled. Tre'gok pulled out his phaser and pointed it into the cell.

"You, come here," he demanded, gesturing to Liam. At first, Liam didn't move. Tre'gok snarled and fired a shot into the cell, hitting Spike in the arm.

"BLOODY HELL!" He cried out, falling to the ground and holding his wounded arm.

"Come. Here." He repeated. Liam slowly rose from his spot next to Claire and crossed the cell. Before Tre'gok could open the door to let him out, Alex jumped out in front of Liam.

"You're not taking him anyway," he snapped. Tre'gok rolled his eyes and held up his gun again, but Harry grabbed his arm.

"That's okay, I'll just take them both. It's obviously that the fag has a fan club, so let's see what his boy toy will do to keep him safe," Harry instructed. Tre'gok nodded and motioned for the two of them to follow him.

"Move," he demanded. Alex glared at him.

"Fuck you!" he snapped. Tre'gok immediately punched him in the face, causing Alex to fall to the ground.

"Alex!" Liam cried. Claire stood up to go help her friend, but stopped when Harry pulled out a phaser as well.

"I suggest you stay as far away as possible, sweet cheeks," he hissed. Claire pressed her lips together and clenched her fists. Before she could say anything, Sophie spoke.

"Claire," she called. Claire looked over and saw Spike's arm bleeding pretty heavily, and looked as though it needed to be looked at immediately. Cautiously she made her way over and kneeled next to him.

"Come on, move!" Tre'gok snapped. Liam helped Alex off the ground and Harry pulled them out of the cell. Claire watched as the cell door closed and Tre'gok looked into the cell, his eyes meeting hers. She immediately turned back to Spike and ripped a small bit of her uniform skirt and tied it around his arm.

"I wish you were so eager to rip your clothes off a few months ago," Spike chuckled.

"You just got shot in the arm, and you're still flirting!" Claire hissed, but couldn't help the smile on her lips.

"You love it," he muttered. She rolled her eyes and looked back to the front of the cell.

"Doctor Conaway-"

"Jackson, we're in a prison cell, in god know where in space. You can call me Claire." Jackson nodded and moved a little closer to her. As of now, she was the senior officer.

"What are we going to do? Who are these guys?" Claire sighed. She had no clue.

"You don't have a plan to get us out of here… can you?" Sophie asked. Claire pressed her lips together and looked down at Spike, who simply shrugged.

"Your call love…" Claire ran a hand through her hair and tried to control the wave of emotions coming onto her. These three didn't know she was pregnant, and would probably be a little nervous if she just started crying.

"I don't know how to get out of here…" she confessed.

"Who were those guys? I've never even seen them before!" Jackson said. Claire furrowed her eyebrows.

"I know the Klingon was from Riley's crew. Liam said the other guy was from the Berlin… but how are they…" she trailed off.

"Looks like Riley teamed up with the rest of the Berlin crew," Spike muttered. Claire nodded.

"If that's true, then Griffin is around here too… so is-" She wasn't able to finish her sentence before a voice echoed out through the halls.

"You better have found her! I just got mauled by a damn dog, I cannot deal with any more let downs." Claire froze as recognition of the voice hit her. Her eyes met Spike who noticed the change in demeanor immediately.

"Claire… who is it?" he asked softly.

"She's right in here. The only blonde one. He hair is shorter than is used to be, but it's her," Tre'gok said, unlocking the door. Claire began to shake a little as she stood up and faced the cell door. A few seconds later it opened, revealing a nightmare Claire wished she could forget. He simply stood in the doorway and smirked.

"Hello… Claire." She tried to hide the fear in her eyes, but she knew it was no good. He could tell.

"Nuhir…"

* * *

Anna groaned as she felt someone shake her awake and slowly opened her eyes.

"Oh, fuck… my head hurts…" she muttered.

"You may have hit your head when you fell," McCoy said. Anna sat up slowly and looked around. It seemed that all the senior officer members were put in one cell along with her.

"What's going on?"

"I believe we are being held captive. The box we opened contained a chemical that filtered through the ship, knocking everyone out," Spock explained. Anna nodded as McCoy helped her up.

"Why am I in here with you guys? Where is Claire and Jim and Ryan?" she asked.

"We have no idea. They just brought you in complaining that you weren't waking up early enough and they had no room. We have no idea where Jim and Ryan are, Claire is probably with the other doctors," McCoy answered. Anna sighed and walked up to the sell door, trying to look out the small window.

"Okay, do we know where the hell we are?" Uhura asked.

"My guess would be Ambassador Kline's rouge ship. I remember detailing of this sort in Doctor Conaway's report," Spock said.

"We need to find a way out of here," Sulu muttered.

"I agree. Ve must find ze captain."

"Aye, can't go no where without Jim," Scotty agreed.

"Okay… so how do we get out of here?" Anna asked. Before either of them could answer, a high pitched scream echoed throughout the ship and the whole crew practically ran to the door.

"Who is it?" Sulu asked.

"I can't tell… it was either a female, or a really feminine male," Uhura said. Anna and McCoy looked at each other, a knowing look on their face. They both spoke at the same time.

"Liam…"

* * *

Ryan groaned as he pulled against his restraints. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and searched around the room confused.

"Good, you're awake," a familiar voice said. Ryan analyzed the situation, noticing the chains on his wrists and ankles. His shirt was missing and there was a throbbing pain on the side of his face.

"W-who are you?" He asked hesitantly, still trying to regain his focus.

"I'm surprised you have to ask," the voice replied. Realization spread over Ryan as the man stepped into the light.

"Griffin," he snapped. The brunette smiled as he pulled up a cart into the light. Ryan's eyes went wide as he saw all the objects lining the cart. He picked out a knife, a branding stick, and a whip amongst the items and cringed. Griffin sneered as he picked up the knife first and crossed the room.

"Let's get started, shall we?"

* * *

"Hurry up," Harry spat, poking Alex with his tazer gun. Alex turned around and glared at the man.

"You know what, you son of a bitch, you poke me with that thing one more time, I'm gonna-" Alex was cut off when Harry shot him with the tazer, causing him to fall into Liam.

"Shut the fuck up. God, you fags get more annoying by the minute," he muttered. Liam looked up at him and glared.

"Okay, you've made your point. What do you want?" Liam asked. Harry shrugged as he shoved them into a different cell.

"I don't know yet. Maybe just to hit you guys around a little bit. Kill you. Or make you suffer the way you made Paul suffer!" Liam frowned upon hearing Paul's name.

"Look, Harry… what happened with Paul was just-"

"A mistake? Bullshit. I heard what happened to him, how the disease you stuck him with made him partially deaf and gave him a gimp! I'm not stupid!" Alex stood up and glared at him.

"That wasn't even us!" he hissed.

"That was totally Claire's idea," Liam muttered under his breath.

"Enough of this, I'm going to make you suffer for what you did to Paul!" Alex scoffed.

"Jesus, get over it. Okay, what happened sucked, but no need to get all pissy because your man lover isn't around to fuck you anymore." Liam's eyes went wide as he saw Harry grip his tazer.

".!" Liam shook his head.

"You had to open your moth…"

* * *

Consciousness slowly came to Jim as the feeling in his limbs came back. He felt the cold floor against his cheeks, and when he tried to move his arms to push himself off the floor, but found his hands tied behind his back. His eyes flew open, and he recognized his bridge, though it was fairly dark. He groaned and made himself sit up, only to be kicked in his side and fell back to the floor.

"FUCK!" Jim hissed. He heard a laugh and looked up to see the figure of Riley Kline standing over him.

"Nice to see you too Jim," Riley replied. Jim groaned as another kick was delivered to his side, and Riley walked up to the captains chair.

"Damn…" Jim hissed quietly, his body adjusting to the pain.

"You know, I never could get over how nice this ship is. Even the captains chair seems top of the line," Riley muttered, sitting down in it. Jim moved so he was kneeling and glared at the other man.

"What did you do?" he snapped. Riley shrugged.

"I simply outsmarted you. I knew you were too curious for your own good, not to mention the fact that you would do anything to get to me. I knew you would think the box had something to do with me, especially after that note I sent you." Jim's eyes went wide before turning to slits as he glared at the man.

"Where is my crew? Where is Claire?" he snapped.

"Your crew is being dealt with. Pretty soon they all will be sold to the slave trade or killed. Those who cooperate will be killed quickly. A select few will be taken care as seen fit." Riley smiled down at the man, but it was in no way comforting. Jim didn't fail to notice he said nothing about Claire.

"Riley, what did you do to Claire?" he hissed.

"Like you care. Not to mention you should really pay attention to the task at hand. You are tied up in front of your mortal enemy, who is planning to kill you, and you ask about your bed mate. How pathetic," he muttered.

"I swear to God, I'm gonna-" Jim was cut off when Riley lunged from his chair and punched him in the face.

"Gonna what? Glare at me? Drool on he floor? I'm really scared now." Jim clenched his fists and groaned as a kick was delivered to his side.

"What the hell do you want?" Jim shouted. Riley smirked and leaned down, grabbing a fist full of Jim's hair and pulling his head back.

"I want my wife back! And I want you dead!"

* * *

"Did you miss me?" Nuhir asked with a sneer, showing his yellow teeth. Claire felt shivers run down at her back, but didn't let it show. She knew by now they he practically fed off her fear. She showed no emotion as he led her through their ship, a phaser pointed at the square of her back.

"You don't even know…" she mumbled. Nuhir grabbed her shoulder, forcing her stop. She froze, feeling the phaser shoved deeper into her back. The vial breath of the Romulan behind her made her want to gag, but she forced herself to remain as she was. Nuhir leaned forward to her ear and she could actually feel him smiling against her.

"No, I don't know. But I will soon. I will fuck you until you lay dead on my floor," he seethed. Claire felt a lump form in her throat, the familiar fear gnawing at her hope. But she had to keep reminding herself, she could take him. She was smarter and stronger than she was before. He shoved her forward as they continued on towards his room. Claire just had to wait for the right moment.

* * *

Spock watched Tre'gok's movements as he checked in on all the cells. Things had quieted down since a strange Romulan man had taken Claire. Anna informed them that the man's name was Nuhir and he'd been the one to hold Claire captive the last time they had encountered Riley and his men. Spock turned back to the group.

"Any ideas?" He asked. The group shook their head, sad and confused looks spread amongst them. Spock nodded and turned back to watching the Klingon.

"Spock, what are we going to do?" Anna asked, her voice bordering on pleading. Ryan wasn't here, she knew that the moment they took Claire away. And with every passing minute, she grew more and more worried.

"I honestly do not know," Spock told them. If possibly, Anna felt her heart drop even more. They were screwed.

* * *

Ryan clenched his jaw as the searing pain on the knife to skin burnt through him. He was not going to let Griffin know that he was in pain, despite the fact that he had quite a few deep cuts all over. Griffin suddenly grabbed his face and pulled him closer.

"Trying to be the tough guy now? Trying to show you're not afraid? Get over yourself," Griffin snapped.

"Go fuck yourself, you are the one who made things the way hey are. Not me!" Ryan snapped back. Griffin punched him in the face before grabbing a hold of his neck.

"Little Ryan Conaway is being a big boy now. Trying to be tough. How tough were you when you were stuck in Starfleet all alone? How strong were you when the captain shot you? How brave were you when your whore of a girlfriend was shot! I don't know what Colleen saw in you, but thank God she died before she was forced into marriage with a bitch like you!" he snapped. Ryan flinched at his words. True he didn't love her anymore, he had Anna now, but it still stung. Especially adding to the fact that she cheated on him with his best friend.

"Stop this Griffin, it doesn't have to be like this…" Ryan pleaded. Griffin glared and shoved him away.

"You're wrong… there is no other way. You're going to get what you deserve, so is everyone you care about, I guarantee it." Ryan let his mind take in the older mans words. Everyone he cared about. His security team, his best friend, his sister and the future niece of nephew she carried. The lastly, he thought about Anna. No, he would not let him hurt her. Even if it was the last thing he did.

"Fuck you! You're just mad because I beat you! I beat you at everything! You can't stand that. You know what you deserve? You deserve to die you fucker!" Griffin reeled back and punched him square in the nose, anger clear in his pale eyes. He turned around and grabbed the branding iron and began to heat it up.

"You are going to regret those words…"

* * *

"Ouch! FUCK!" Liam screamed, holding his cheek. Though he was pretty beat up and tattered, Alex was in a worse position. He currently had blood coming from his mouth, and a large bruise on his eye. Liam only had a few cuts and bruises.

"What are you going to do about it, faggot?" Harry asked. Liam clenched his fists and went to go punch the man, but faked him out last minute and kicked him in the balls, causing the larger man to fall to the ground. He immediately ran over to Alex and helped him up.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Jesus, you just-"

"I know, sissy move. What can I say, I'm a sissy," Liam muttered. Harry growled and lunged forward, grabbing Liam's shirt before Alex punched him in the jaw.

"Get the fuck away from us!" Alex hissed.

"Yeah, you pussy!" Liam added. Alex turned toward him and raised an eyebrow.

"Liam…" the gay man just pouted.

"Too much?"

* * *

Claire felt her stomach lurched as Nuhir shoved her into his bedroom, candles lining the room. It felt more like a dungeon than a bedroom, but she didn't care. She was ready, waiting for him to make a move. Nuhir closed and locked the door, turning to face the blonde. Claire prepared herself as he lunged forward, crushing his lips against hers. His fang-like teeth pierced her lip. The taste of blood filled her mouth as she scrunched up her eyes and firmly kept her mouth shut. Nuhir growled at her resistant and grabbed a fistful of her hair.

"Bitch," he snarled. Claire yelped at the violent action against her hair, causing him to smile. He leaned forward to capture her lips again, but she brought her right elbow up and smashed it against the side of his face, causing a popping noise to echoed throughout the room. Nuhir's hands went to the left side of his face, part of his jaw looking broken. But Claire wasted no time in ducking out of his grasp and kicking him in the knee, bringing him down to the ground.

"Whose the bitch now?" She snapped, watching him writhe in pain on the floor. She lunged for his phaser, but his hand beat her to it.

"Dru rou really rink rou can breat mre?" He asked, one hand held the phaser in his hand, the other holding onto his face. Claire paused, thinking about her next move carefully. Before she could do anything else, a boom echoed through the room. Both sets of eyes turned to the door where a large dent was now visible. Claire turned back to Nuhir before he could move and kicked the gun out of his hand, shattering three of his fingers in the process. Nuhir howled out in pain as another loud bang echoed through the room, the dent growing larger. Claire wasn't sure what the thing outside the door was, but she figured it was worth a shot. She scooped up Nuhir's phaser as she ran to the door, undoing the blots and locks keeping it closed. As soon as she opened the door, a large animal bounded into the room straight for Nuhir.

"FUCK!" She heard him shout. Claire's eyes lit up when she realized what the animal was.

"Rocky!" she cried. The dog stopped it's assault on the Romulan man's arm and ran toward her, licking her face immediately. She quickly pet him before grabbing onto his collar. She heard a popping sound and realized he popped his jaw back in place, dismissing her thought that his jaw might have been broken.

"Come on, we gotta go find Anna!" she said. Rocky barked before taking off down the hallway. Claire went to follow but felt someone grab her shoulder and throw her on the bed. She cried in pain, seeing as he grabbed her bad shoulder, and froze when she felt him jump on top of her.

"You whore, I'm going to have you, whether you like it or not!" Nuhir snapped. Claire tried to push him off as he went to rip off her dress. He slapped her hard across the face and leaned forward to place his lips on her neck. Claire felt the tears begin to flow as she continued to struggle. She couldn't let this happen again. Not after last time. This time was different. She wasn't just defending herself, she was defending the small child growing inside of her. After a minute she relaxed and bit back the smirk as Nuhir raised his head from her neck.

"I knew you'd warm up to me," he whispered. Claire threw her head forward into his, causing him to fall off of her, and stood up, grabbing his phaser and shooting his leg.

"Go fuck yourself!" she hissed.

"You fucking bitch!" he snapped. He went to reach for a dagger, but Claire grabbed it and stabbed his hand into the frame of the bed, pinning him there.

"Have fun!" she snapped before taking off into a run out of the room. There was no way he was going to take advantage of her. No way.

* * *

Anna raised an eyebrow as she heard whining and someone scratching the door of the cell.

"What is that?" Uhura asked. Anna walked to the door and looked down through the window, smiling when she saw what it was.

"Rocky!" she cried. The dog looked up and began to pant heavily and wag it's tail.

"Rocky?" Sulu asked.

"Claire's dog! He must have gotten out of her room." Before anyone could reply, footsteps were heard and someone slid to a stop in front of the cell.

"ANNA!" Anna's eyes went wide and she smiled.

"Claire! You got out!" she said. Claire nodded and pulled out her phaser and shooting the lock.

"I got lucky. Where's Ryan?" Claire asked. Anna shrugged as she walked out of the cell, followed by the rest of the group.

"I was hoping you knew. I haven't seen him nor Jim since I woke up," she confessed. Claire took a deep breath and nodded.

"Commander, what do you suggest we do?" she asked. Spock thought about it before his gaze rested past her.

"I suggest we take care of this Klingon, who looks about ready to kill us." The group turned around to see Tre'gok glaring at him. Anna pressed her lips together.

"That sounds great, you do that while we find Ryan and Jim, okay?" Claire nodded and the two girls took off running, Rocky not far behind.

"Ugh, pansy's…" Uhura muttered.

* * *

Alex smiled down at the unconscious form of Harry on the ground. It felt good to beat the crap out of the foul mouthed homophobe. He looked up at Liam who was flashing him a smile too. Alex noticed the door open behind his ex-lover and a blood-covered Romulan quietly stepped into the room. Alex felt the world slow down as he lunged forward, shoving his ex-lover out of the way as the Romulan plunged his dagger forward.

"Alex!" Liam cried out, watching the knife cut through Alex's shirt and lodge itself in his stomach. The Romulan glared and lunged toward Liam, but Liam grabbed a phaser and shot him, not realizing it was only set to stun. The Romulan paused before falling to the ground, leaving Liam to help Alex.

"Liam…" Alex said softly. Liam grabbed the dagger and pulled it out of his stomach, causing Alex to cry out.

"Alex, just hang on, I have something to heal you. We just need to get back to the cell. I left it with Claire," Liam said. Alex shook his head.

"I can't… I'm not going to make it," he muttered. Liam paused as he realized how bad the wound was.

"No, no… Alex, you can't do this to me. You need to hang in there!" Alex frowned before grabbing onto his shirt.

"I'm sorry for what I did with Claire. I never wanted to cheat on you. I love you…" Liam felt tears pour down his face as he looked down at his lover.

"I love you too. Don't leave me… please. I'll take you back, we can have all the sex you want. Just don't leave me." Before Alex could reply, someone ran through the door, and the two of them looked up to see Anna enter the room, Claire right behind her.

"Alex!" Claire said. She immediately grabbed a small vial from a pocket in her boot and tossed it to Liam, who used it immediately.

"How long will this take?" Liam asked.

"An hour, if he makes it…" she whispered. Liam frowned as he held his ex-boyfriend closer.

"He has to make it," he whispered. Before Claire or Anna could reply, a loud scream was heard throughout the ship. Both Claire and Anna looked a each other.

"Liam," Anna whispered.

"Go… I'll stay with him." Claire paused as she looked down a her best friend. He had been with her since she got onto the Enterprise, it didn't seem right to leave him.

"Claire, that might have been Ryan, or Jim. We need to go," Anna urged. Claire took a deep breath and looked up at her gay boyfriend.

"Call me if he get's worse. Please?" she pleaded. Liam nodded. The girls stood up and ran out of the room, leaving the two lovers alone. Liam looked down at Alex and frowned.

"I'm not leaving your side till you wake up, I hope you know that."

* * *

Ryan cried out in pain as the searing hot branding iron burnt the skin of his arm. Griffin smirked and pulled the brand away from him.

"There, now you are marked as the traitor you are…" he snapped. Ryan took deep breaths as he tried to concentrate on picking the lock on his cuffs. He was so close, he only needed a few more minutes.

"When I get out of these, I'm going to kill you!" Ryan hissed. Griffin smiled as he placed the iron over some hot coals.

"I'd like to see you try," he countered with his usual sneer. Ryan wanted nothing more than to burn the man's mouth shut, but he just had to get out of his cuffs first. Ryan could feel the life draining out of his body as his blood poured out all over the floor. The gapping wounds covering his body ached and the flesh on his shoulder continued to sizzle and burn. The rank smell of burnt flesh caused his nostrils to flare. Griffin picked up the iron again and turned back to Ryan.

"RYAN!" Griffin paused as he turned towards the door. Ryan felt the locked click as the chains fell away and his hands shot forward, grabbing hold of the branding iron. Griffin turned back around, his eyes wide. Ryan groaned, the hot metal burning his rough palms, but he pushed passed the pain and yanked on the metal object. Griffin felt the branding iron slip out from his hands. Ryan grabbed the none burning side of the iron and brought the object down on top of Griffin's head. The door to the man's room opened up wide, revealing Anna and Claire.

"Claire… Anna…"

"Ryan, STOP!" Anna cried. Ryan pulled himself away and looked down as Griffin grabbed his head in pain.

"You son of a bitch!" Griffin cried. Ryan grabbed a phaser and pointed it at the older man.

"I told you I was going to kill you," Ryan hissed. Before he could pull the trigger, he felt a hand on his shoulder and saw his girlfriend looking up at him.

"Ryan, don't. he's not worth it," she whispered. Ryan turned back to Griffin and glared. He could stop all of this if he killed him. It would just take one squeeze of the trigger.

"Ry… come on. Just stun his ass and leave him here for someone else to beat the shit out of him," Claire said.

"I could end this all right now!" he snapped.

"Ryan, breathe. He's going to go to jail and you will make sure he stays there. Just put down the phaser."

"Yeah, Ryan. Listen to your whore and bitch sister. Just put down the phaser," Griffin mocked. Ryan felt his nostrils flare and he pulled the trigger, the shot hitting his ex-best friend in the shoulder.

"Fuck you. I'm going to wait for you to bleed to death," Ryan hissed. He reached down and cuffed his ankle to one of the chains and grabbed his girlfriends hand before walking over to the doorway where Claire was standing.

"Shit, Ry… you look like hell," Claire muttered. Ryan rolled his eyes and looked down at his baby sister.

"You both alright?" he asked, looking from Anna to Claire. Anna nodded.

"Yeah, just a bump on the head," she confessed. Ryan looked to Claire, not failing to notice the light bruise on her cheek and a nasty cut on her lip.

"You okay? You didn't fall did you? Is the baby alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I'm still pregnant, and I'll live. We need to find the rest of the crew now, so we can find Jim." Ryan nodded and looked back at Griffin, who was glaring at him. As long as he stayed tied to that chair, there was nothing to worry about.

"Let's go…" The three of them took off down the hallway.

"You think the rest of the crew is alright?" Anna asked. They turned the corner, only to stop when they saw Tre'gok and a group of Romulans and Klingons holding the crew at gunpoint, and had a couple phasers resting on them.

"I'm gonna say no," Claire muttered. Before anyone could react, someone reached out and grabbed a hold of Anna, pulling a knife out and pressing it up against her neck.

"Drop your phasers," the voice said. Ryan turned toward the voice and his blood ran cold.

"Dom…" he hissed.

"Hey Ryan. Nice to see you again. Drop the phaser," he ordered. Ryan dropped his gun and Dom looked at Claire who dropped her gun.

"Good work," Tre'gok muttered. A second later Claire felt someone grab a hold of her hair and tug her toward a strong body, causing her to cry out.

"You bitch," she heard Nuhir hiss. A second later, she saw Liam and a half healed Alex be pushed to the front of the group by two guards.

"Well, now that we're all together, why don't we start by lessening the numbers," Dom suggested.

"Good idea, Captain Riley would be very upset if he heard of your misconduct," Tre'gok muttered. Ryan felt his jaw tighten at the Klingon's words knowing he was in no shape fight after his little torture session with Griffin. Claire looked over towards her brother, her face filled with pain.

"What do we do now?" She mouthed to him. Ryan didn't reply. He wasn't sure how to reply to her words. Tre'gok smirked at the silence and held up his phaser, pointing it towards Liam.

"OLIVER!" Everyone turned to look down the hallway to see the large form of Rocky bounding down the hallway. Atop the massive dog sat a redheaded man, cackling like crazy. A large phaser sat in his hands and he fired towards the group, but every shot from his phaser missed. Rupert sat behind the crazed redheaded, fear evident on his pale face. Tre'gok charged towards the dog, using spikes attached to his battle uniform to pierce the dog's flesh and knocked him to the ground. Oliver and Rupert flew off the beast's back and landed next to Ryan to stood frozen.

"That was your last line of defense? Pathetic," the Klingon breathed. Ryan bit the inside of his lip as he just watched the scene in front of him. They were screwed. Rocky whimpered from his spot on the ground and licked at his wounded side, ignoring the crisis at hand. Claire felt tears well up in her eyes, seeing her precious pet in pain and knowing that her boyfriend was somewhere out there with Riley. She had no idea what kind of pain he was in, but she knew it couldn't have been good. Seeing what Griffin had planned for Ryan, she was afraid the same thing would befall him.

"Tre'gok, is it? I'll make a deal with you," Ryan said, stepping forward. He noticed Dom froze up, adding just a little bit more pressure to Anna's neck. Ryan held up his hands in defense, showing them that he wasn't up to anything. Tre'gok sneered as he stepped up to the man.

"You're not really in any position to be making deals, are you? What do you have that would motivate me?" He asked, chuckling at his own question. A few other men chuckled as well, but bother Dom and Nuhir remained stone-faced and cold.

"Nothing, I suppose. I just ask that you don't kill my sister or my girlfriend. I won't fight back if you decide to kill me, but please," he asked, his voice pleaded with the Klingon. His sneered increased, looking at the man stare at the ground in shame. Claire's eyes widen at her brother's words as Anna struggled against Dom's grip.

"No, Ryan! Don't!" She pleaded with him. Tre'gok watched her reaction and returned his gaze back to the pathetic blonde haired human.

"I have no problems killing you now, you weak human. So unless you make it worth my while, I'll agree to no such thing," he told him, taking out a dagger and pointing it at Ryan's heart. Ryan scrunched his face up.

"I don't have to give you a blowjob, do I?" He asked, a small smirk on his face as he looked up at the Klingon. Again, a few men from Riley's crew chuckled, but Tre'gok turned towards them to silence them.

"No, filthy human! If you do as I command, then I promise to leave your women unharmed," he promised. Ryan nodded, reluctantly. Nuhir yanked on Claire's hair, pulling her closer towards him.

"This one is mine! Riley told me that I could keep her!" He snarled. Tre'gok pointed his phaser towards the Romulan, his dagger never wavering from Ryan's heart.

"Riley isn't calling the shots right now, is he? The man wants to be honorable, so let him go down a shameful beggar," he bellowed. He turned back to Ryan. "Get on your knees." Ryan did as he was told as he practically fell to the ground in front of the Klingon.

"Yes sir," Ryan said, his face back down at the floor. They were hopeless and he had committed himself to a shameful death to keep his sister and Anna alive.

"Why should we keep your sister alive?" He asked, using the dagger to tilt Ryan's face upwards. Ryan took a shaky breath.

"She's pregnant," he said simply. Tre'gok raised an eyebrow.

"The girl is pregnant with Kirk's child?" He asked, surprised. In fact, the entire roomed seemed to still as Tre'gok asked the question. Ryan wanted to nodded, but the knife at his chin prevented him from doing so.

"Yes," he replied. Tre'gok turned towards Nuhir.

"Release her," he ordered. Nuhir's eyes went wide with fury.

"What?" He asked. Tre'gok pointed the phaser toward the Romulan again.

"Release her and inform our captain. This changes everything," he demanded. Ryan's felt his heart stop.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her," he said, raising to his feet. Tre'gok nodded.

"If you completed what I asked of you, I wouldn't. However, this is valuable information."

"You son of a bitch!" Ryan hissed, lunging forward. One of Riley's men reached out and grabbed him, making sure he wouldn't be able to get away.

"Don't give me a reason to kill you. I will not harm her, nor your whore. You have given me valuable information, and for that, your death will be quick." Ryan went to lunge toward him, but was stopped by someone punching him in the stomach.

"Ryan!" Anna called, if there wasn't a knife so close to her throat, she would've moved forward to help him out. Claire immediately went to step forward, but Nuhir pulled her back by her hair.

"Stop, please," Claire whispered. Nuhir must have heard her, but simply growled in reply. Tre'gok turned toward her and Nuhir and glared at the Romulan.

"Nuhir…"

"You are not my boss, don't pretend for a minute that you are. I'm keeping this one and there is nothing you can do to stop me," Nuhir hissed.

"I could kill you, would that be sufficient?" Nuhir glared at him, and his grip on Claire's hair tightened. There was a reason why Klingons and Romulans didn't get along. After glaring at each other for a long moment, Nuhir let out a long string of curses in Romulan.

"Damn you…"

"Nuhir, give me the girl. If you ask Riley I have no doubt that he would let you have her when he's finished. Granted he doesn't kill her," Tre'gok said. After a minute Nuhir shoved Claire toward Tre'gok, who grabbed her shoulder and applied a death grip, causing her to bite her tongue in order not to cry out. If this continued she was going to need surgery on her shoulder.

"Hvaid, you are in charge of putting these prisoners back where they belong. Leave the blonde haired man to me," Tre'gok ordered. Nuhir glared and snarled, but Tre'gok ignored him and lead Claire away from the group.

"You, move the prisoners into cells. No one will take any of them out for any reason. Am I understood?" a few men nodded and began dragging people away, leaving Nuhir alone in the hallway with Ryan. Anna shot her boyfriend a worried look, but he sent her a comforting look. When she was gone he turned back to the Romulan, who was glaring daggers at the man. Ryan needed to figure out a way out, and he needed to do it now.

* * *

Jim fell to the floor in a heap as the pain of being beaten filled his body. He had one or two bruises on his face, and plenty of bruises on the rest of his body. Riley had yet to use any weapons, seeming to get a kick out of just beating the young Captain, but Jim expected it at any minute.

"How does it feel, to know that everything is being taken from you, and there is nothing you can do about it?" Riley asked.

_It sucks! _Jim thought, but was silent. Riley grabbed a hold of his shirt and punched him once more, causing a cut to erupt on his forehead. Riley threw him on the floor and glared down at him.

"Try and be strong all you want, I'm going to eventually kill you," Riley snapped. Jim felt blood pouring down his face, but he looked up at the broken man.

"If you have to keep reminding me, I'd say someone was getting cold feet," he hissed. Riley's gaze darkened as he looked down at the bleeding captain before him. He opened his mouth as if to deny the statement, but instead stepped on the captain's hand and crushed it under his foot. Jim bit his lip, trying to hold in the scream that threatened to escape his lips as the pressure increased. Nuhir choose that moment to walk into the room.

"Sir, I have some news for you," he said, bowing before his captain. Riley looked up and glared at the distraction.

"I was told to not be interrupted, was I not?" He snapped. Nuhir flinched at the demanding voice, but nodded.

"I know, sir, but Tre'gok says that it's urgent," he said in a shaky voice. Jim closed his eyes, masking the pain as Riley removed his foot and crossed the room to where Nuhir stood.

"What?" He hissed, his tone hushed.

"There have been… developments," Nuhir confessed. Riley growled, and clenched his fists. Jim took the time to get back on his knees, not trusting himself to stand on his feet while his head was still pounding.

"They better be worth interrupting me, or I swear I will throw you and him back to the dark pits you came from," Riley snapped. Tre'gok took that moment to enter, dragging along Claire, who was dragging her feet to try and stop the Klingon. Riley glanced over and his eyebrows furrowed.

"Sir," Tre'gok said, stopping next to Nuhir. Claire glanced up at Riley before her gaze rested on Jim, making her heart clench. A part of her was happy to see him alive, but another part knew he was in pain, and knew that she was just about to make him suffer even more. Jim's gaze met hers and he felt his stomach lurch. Though she was in better shape than him, it still hurt him to see her bruised cheek and broken lip.

"Claire," he whispered.

"This better be important," Riley hissed. Tre'gok moved forward and whispered something in Riley's ear, causing the mans face to go from anger to shock. He pulled away and turned toward Claire, who tore her eyes away from Jim and landed on Riley. The man paused for a moment before standing in front of her and reaching his hand out to place a hand on her stomach, which was barely swollen. Claire flinched and tried to move away, but Tre'gok held her in place.

"How charming, you two never fail to surprise me. I never thought you two would get together, nor stay together. Now look at you," he said. Claire frowned when he took his hand away.

"Please don't…" she pleaded quietly. Riley turned around and walked up to Jim.

"Leave her out of this Riley," Jim hissed.

"Jim, Jim… you surprise me. I wasn't as surprised that you found a girl to stay with, we all do that eventually. I am surprise, however, to see how seriously you are taking it." Jim furrowed his eyebrows.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, it's a big step, if you ask me," Riley said, a wicked smirk on his face. Jim furrowed his eyebrows, Had he found the ring? Had Claire heard him that night he told her he was going to marry her?

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jim said. Riley raised an eyebrow.

"You don't know?" he asked. Claire tried to move forward, but the Klingon held her back.

"Riley, stop! Please… just don't!" Claire cried. She was close to crying, she wanted to tell Jim, not have his rival tell him. Riley paused before a wide smile came to his lips and turned toward Jim.

"Don't tell me you didn't know your whore was carrying your bastard." Jim glared at him and was about to yell at him for calling Claire a wore, but stopped suddenly. Bastard? His gaze went straight to Claire, who had a few tears running down her face at this point. She looked toward Jim and her eyes were full of guilt and shame.

"Claire…" he whispered.

"I'm sorry," she replied. Riley walked up to Jim and grabbed him by his hair so he could look him in the eye.

"It's almost a wonder, isn't it? Finding out that you're soon to be a father?" Riley hissed, letting go of his hair and walking in between Jim and Claire. Jim felt a lot of things, wonder wasn't one of them at the moment.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, using his captain's chair to support himself as he slowly rose to his feet. He completely ignored Riley's question as Claire bit her lip nervously.

"I was going to, but I just couldn't find the right time…" She told him, feeling more tears well up in her eyes.

"Is now the right time?" He asked, his tone harsh. Claire cringed, but shook her head.

"It doesn't matter now, does it?" She said quietly. Riley grabbed Claire by her arm, motioning for Tre'gok to let her go. The Klingon obeyed and took a step back.

"I will not have you two having this conversation with me standing right here," Riley spat. Claire closed her eyes, having no choice, but to follow as Riley dragged her across the room.

"This is between you and me, Riley. Using Claire makes you a crowd," Jim snarled as Riley threw Claire onto the ground next to him.

"You're so weak, Jim. So damn weak! But that's okay, because now the fun begins. Nuhir and Tre'gok, leave us," Riley ordered. His two men quickly left the room.

* * *

"How are you holding up?" Anna asked, kneeling next to Liam. Alex gave them a weak goofy smile, holding up his thumb.

"Fan-fucking-tastic," he told them. Liam looked down at the wound and sighed.

"The bandage that I made needs to be changed, but he's conscious. Obviously," he said, grabbing the makeshift bandage with one hand while the other ran a hand through Alex's short sweaty hair. Anna nodded.

"So what can we do? How's the wound itself?" She asked. Liam took his hand off Alex's hand and turned back to the wound, earning a groan of protest from Alex.

"Oh shush, I'm trying to help you," Liam said, inspecting the open chunk of skin.

"Don't you have pain meds or anything?" Alex asked warily. Liam shook his head and sighed.

"The wound needs to be flushed and stitched up quickly. We're risking infection every minute it goes untreated," Liam explained. Oliver watched from the corner and sat down next to the trio.

"I have something that might help," he informed them, reaching into his pocket. Liam raised an eyebrow.

"No offense, but I'm not sure giving Alex your meds would really help him," Liam said. Oliver chuckled.

"Oh no, I wouldn't give him those. Although, I did give them to my pet squirrel once. Eli died the next day," Oliver stated. Liam and Anna exchanged glances before turning back to Alex.

"That's great, Oliver. But what do you have?" Liam asked. Oliver finally found what he was looking forward and pulled it out.

"A pudding cup!"

* * *

Ryan took a deep breath as he continued to devise a plan out of his situation. He had two men in front of them, and knew Tre'gok was coming any minute. He took a deep breath and concentrated. He was still pretty beat, but If her focused, he could take care of these guys.

"Hey!" Ryan called. One man turned around and walked up to him in the cell.

"What?" he asked. When Ryan said nothing he moved closer.

"Hey, what did you call me over-" Before he could finish, Ryan kicked his gun out of his hand, causing the guy to cry out. He grabbed his phaser and shot the other guy in the chest before turning back to the gun in front of him and punching him in the face.

"I fucking hate rouge ships…" Ryan muttered. He quickly tore a piece of his shirt off and tied it around his hand. He went to run out of the cell but stopped when he heard someone walked down the halls and hid in the shadows.

"Why the hell would you do that? She was mine, I told you!"

"My loyalty is to my captain, not a washed up Romulan." A low growl was heard and Ryan tensed up.

"You know what… when this is over, you better watch your back. Because once Riley get's what he wants, he's not going to care what happens to you."

"Is that a threat, Nuhir?"

"Damn right it's a threat." Ryan heard them stop in front of his door.

"I suggest you patrol the _Enterprise_. I don't know how long you will be welcome on this ship." Ryan heard Nuhir let out a snarl and clenched his phaser. "Now excuse me, I have something to do." Ryan heard Nuhir walk away and slam a door, and waited for his own door to open. The moment it did, he pulled the trigger, but felt himself being pushed to the ground.

"You didn't think I could hear your breathing? You pathetic human!" Ryan felt hands clasp around his throat and began to struggle. He shifted his weight so he could elbow the Klingon in the face. Tre'gok grunted in pain, releasing his grip on Ryan's throat, who wasted no time in catching his breath. He dropped to the ground and knocked the Klingon's feet out from under him. He picked up his phaser off the ground and pointed it between the Klingon's shocked eyes. Finally, Ryan allowed himself to take in a deep shaky breath, the muscles in his throat sore.

"This pathetic human just got the upper hand, Tre'gok," Ryan said in a hoarse voice. Tre'gok merely glared up at the security officer.

"And what are you going to do? Kill me?" Ryan considered it for a moment, but shook his head as he smashed the phaser down on the Klingon's head. Tre'gok yelped in pain as the phaser sliced the side of his head. Ryan double checked that the phaser was on stun before smiling down at the bleeding Klingon.

"I'm better than that," he told him, firing at the man. Tre'gok yelled for a few seconds before blacking out. Ryan put the phaser away as he massaged his aching throat. Now he just had to find the rest of the crew.

* * *

Jim clenched his fists, felling his rage increase as Riley towered above him and Claire. If he didn't do something quick, neither of them would be making it out alive. Riley turn around and walked to a station, where Claire noticed a couple of weapons were sitting. She quickly sat up and helped him do the same. She noticed that his wrists were raw, probably from being bound.

"Jim, I'm-"

"Later," he told her, his voice coming off harsher than he meant. She nodded and looked back up when Riley walked back over to them.

"Look how cute you two are. It's almost disgusting," Riley said. Jim glared at him and tried to move in front of Claire, but stopped when Riley pulled out a phaser.

"Riley, please. I'm sorry for what I did, but don't involve Claire or my crew. I'm begging you," Jim said, flinching on his own words. Claire looked at her boyfriend, frowning at the fact he was resolved to begging. It was not the James T. Kirk she knew. He was desperate.

"Oh, but you see… this is much more fun." Before Jim could reply, Riley kicked him in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground and groan in pain. Claire gave a small gasp and went to help him up, but was stopped by Riley grabbing a hold of her uniform and pulling her up toward him. He then gave a swift kick to the mans side and took a step back, grabbing onto her arm and holding her close to him.

"Jim!" Claire cried, tears threatening to come to her eyes once more.

"Oh, your poor boyfriend was knocked down. And you're knocked up!" Riley began laughing and Claire had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

"Damn it Riley," Jim muttered, spitting out some blood from his mouth. Jim stood up and went to lunge at Riley, but stopped when the phaser was suddenly turned toward Claire.

"Don't be so quick to jump, you don't know who you might be hurting," Riley said. Claire tried to struggle, but Riley took a hold of her bad shoulder and applied pressure, stopping her struggle immediately.

"Stop this, please," she whispered. Riley chuckled and shook his head.

"It's already too far gone, there is no going back," he replied. Jim frowned. All it took was on pull of the trigger and Claire was dead. He wouldn't let that happen.

"So what do you want from me, Riley? What? You want me to suffer? I am suffering… but not because of these wounds," Jim said, forcing himself onto his knees and looked up at Riley, who merely raised an eyebrow.

"You don't know the first thing about suffering!" Riley cried out, tightening his grip on Claire's shoulder. Jim winced at the look of pain on her face, but continued.

"Riley, your wife and baby died. But here you are, torturing me by hurting my girlfriend and possibly harming my child. You weren't tortured, they left quickly and painlessly. How is this fair to me?" Jim asked, trying to appeal to what was left of Riley's humanity. But the dark and evil look in Riley's eyes surprised Jim.

"No one ever said that life was fair, Jim. You of all people should know that," Riley snapped. Jim sighed and lowered his head, causing Riley to smile. But the smile was quickly erased as Jim bounced off from the heels of his feet, head butting Riley in his crotch. His lost his grip on Claire, who fell to the floor, as well as his phaser. Jim lunged for the phaser and grabbed it, ignoring the pain from all over his body. He went to point it at Riley but had it knocked out of his hands and had the force of Riley's body fell on top of him.

Claire picked herself from off the ground and turned toward the men, who were currently wrestling to get to the phaser, which was only a few feet away from her. She took a step forward to grab it, but stopped when a large dagger flew by her face and embedded itself in the back of one of the com chairs. She turned toward the door and resisted the urge to give a groan of annoyance when she saw Nuhir standing there.

"Going somewhere?" He asked, jumping toward her. She raised her fists and glared at him. Things were about to get ugly.

* * *

Ryan shot another man as he lunged toward him and stopped in front of the cell door.

"RYAN!" he heard someone call. He opened the door and was greeted by his girlfriend pulling him close and kissing him fully on the lips. He responded immediately but pulled away before they got carried away.

"We have to get back on the _Enterprise_," he told them.

"Do you have a plan?" Spock asked.

"Most of the crew has been released. We'll stick together until we get on our ship, then split into groups. The groups will go into certain parts of the ship and extinguish anyone in their path," he explained. Everyone exchanged looks.

"What about Jim and Claire?" Rupert asked. Ryan didn't reply, just looked down at the floor.

"I trust that Jim will keep her safe. When we get on board and the ship is ours again, I want Scotty to find them and beam them out of the ship, understood?" Ryan asked. A chorus of agreement rang out through the room.

"Alright, let's go," Anna said, ushering the Enterprise crew to follow them. They all took off running, though Ryan slowed his normal pace so that everyone could keep up with him.

"Spock, Anna, Sulu, Scotty, and McCoy will lead the groups once we get on board the _Enterprise_," Ryan instructed. McCoy snorted from behind him.

"Jesus Christ, Ryan. I'm a doctor, not a solider," he snapped. Ryan shrugged.

"You're one of the senior officers on this ship and I need you to lead a small portion of the crew," he ordered. McCoy stopped running and glared at Ryan.

"You're not our captain, boy. You're not even the first officer. Why should we listen to you?" He demanded. He realized that he was acting like a jerk, but he didn't like the idea of leaving Jim behind. Besides, who did Ryan think he was? More and more of the crew stopped, forcing Ryan to stop and turn to face them.

"In a time like this, you're really pulling the officer card?" He snapped. McCoy nodded.

"I'm not so sure if I like your plan. Jim is my best friend and I'm not going to leave my captain behind," McCoy countered. Before Ryan could answer, Spock stepped in between the two fighting men.

"I don't like it either, Dr. McCoy, but Ryan's plan seems to be the most logical. Jim is my friend as well, but we must sacrifice one to save many," Spock explained. McCoy was ready to deny the Vulcan's statement, but sighed. Spock did have a point.

"And hopefully, we won't be sacrificing Claire and Jim. I believe in them," Ryan added. Finally, McCoy nodded.

"Fine, let's go," he said, succumbing to the plan. Wordlessly, they continued their trek back to the _Enterprise_.

* * *

"Give it up Jim, you won't be able to beat me. I kicked your ass back in the academy, I'll kick your ass now!" Riley snapped, throwing a punch toward Jim. Jim moved back and rushed forward, trying to hit the man down. Riley moved to the side and caught Jim with his elbow, causing him to fall. He kicked the older mans legs out from under him and kicked him in the face. He rolled away from him and jumped to his feet, wincing a bit at the pain that went through his body. Riley jumped up as well and they both looked toward the phaser. Both men lunged for it, but it only caused it to slide further away. Instead, they began wrestling and trying to get the upper hand.

"Riley, you don't have to do this. Just stop this now and we can stop!" Jim said, trying to stop the mans hands from gripping his neck.

"I will see you dead! I have to see you dead, you, and your whore girlfriend!"

* * *

Claire quickly ducked out of the way of the dagger and turned around. She wasn't sure how it happened, but he had taken a hold of the dagger and already left a nasty cut on her arm.

"Scared?" he taunted. He went to cut her with the dagger but she moved and kicked it out of his hand.

"No, are you?" she hissed. He moved his fist forward, but she dodged it and kicked him in the stomach. He fell to the floor but grabbed her ankle, pulling her to the ground with him. He went to pin her to the ground, but she punched him in the crotch and went to grab the dagger, only to have him grab her by the skirt and pull her back.

"I will murder you!" he hissed. She pulled her knees up to her chest to keep distance between herself and him, glancing at the dagger that was not far from her. She reached for it, only to have him smack it away from her.

"Fuck…" she hissed. Nuhir laughed.

"You don't know the meaning of the word." Claire didn't respond, but instead kicked him in the face. Nuhir yelped, his hands going for his face, giving Claire a chance to jump to her feet and chase after the dagger. However, the kick didn't stop the Romulan for long, for he was up and grabbing her arms before she knew it.

"Let me go!" She cried out, trying to loosen his grip. Nuhir chuckled as he pulled her against him.

"You're a feisty little thing, aren't you? I can fix that," he spat, throwing her back down on the ground in the opposite direction of the dagger.

"The hell you will," she snapped, mimicking Jim's action from earlier and head butting the Romulan in his privates. Nuhir howled in pain as he fell to the floor, holding his manhood.

"You bitch!" he snapped. She smirked.

"You don't know the meaning of the word."

* * *

Ryan delivered a punch to a Romulans face and shot him in the face. He was on the _Enterprise, _and had one level to go before they were at the bridge.

"Ryan!" he turned around and saw Anna running toward him.

"Are you okay? I thought you were supposed to scope out sickbay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. McCoy finished his deck and went straight to sickbay. Once it was cleared he ordered half the group to look for Jim, and the other half to help out on other decks. I'm here to help you," she said. Ryan frowned.

"Anna, it's going to be dangerous, I'm headed for the bridge." She nodded and took his hand.

"Not without me you aren't. I'm not about to let you do this by yourself." He smiled and leaned down to kiss her deeply.

"I love you," he said. She smiled.

"I love you too."

* * *

"I need some gauze here, now!" Liam ordered. A few security officers nodded and tried to help the doctor out. Now that he was on the _Enterprise_, he was able to help Alex heal.

"Liam." Liam placed a hand on Alex's lips and frowned.

"Don't, you're going to be fine. You just got to give me a few minutes, okay?" Liam asked. Alex nodded and watched as some officers brought a crap load of supplies. Liam immediately began to treat the wound, but didn't have time to give Alex any pain killers.

"Ouch! God Damn!" Liam shot him a sympathetic look, but continued to work. Thankfully, it seemed like no internal organs were damaged too bad, all of them would heal on their own with a little help. Liam stuck the man with a hypo spray and stitched him up.

"Alright, I just need to finish this, wrap it, and you'll be fine," Liam said. Alex continued to take deep breaths as he felt the needle pierce his skin repeatedly.

"No internal damage?" Alex asked when Liam was finished.

"Not that I saw. We'll keep you on close watch, but I think you'll be fine." Alex nodded and looked up at the gay man.

"Liam… what I said in the cell… I meant it." Liam turned back to him and smiled.

"I know… I meant what I said as well." Alex smiled and pressed his lips together before speaking.

"So, does this mean?" he asked softly.

"I don't know. We'll talk later. As much as I hate to say it, I have patients to take care of. I'll be back." Alex nodded and laid back in the bed. Gosh, this was a mess.

* * *

"The security override is not working," Ryan said. Anna sighed as she looked at the roof of the lift.

"How are we supposed to get to the bridge now?" she asked. Ryan glanced up to the top as well.

"We could climb," he suggested. She frowned and thought it over.

"I guess… I guess we have no choice," she admitted. He nodded and looked at her.

"Alright, we climb to the bridge, bust in and shoot anyone up there." Anna nodded and watched as he opened a latch in the roof.

"You think Jim and Claire are up there?" she asked. Ryan sighed before turning toward her.

"I hope so."

* * *

Claire felt pain in her cheek as his hand crossed over her face for a second time. She had lost her concentration for a brief moment and let herself be hit. She fell into the wall but remained standing, only to have him grab her chin forcefully.

"Not so tough now, are you?" he hissed. She stomped on his foot, causing him to loosen his grip, and threw her to the side. She jumped up and ran toward the dagger, only to stumble on her own to feet and fall to her knees. A small yelp of pain escaped her lips and she immediately felt someone grab a hold of her hair and pull her back.

"Let me go!" she hissed. Nuhir kneeled down and guided her head toward Jim and Riley, who were currently in the middle of throwing fists.

"You're boyfriend is going to die, and then you will die. You and that pest growing inside of you." She felt her blood run cold and began to struggle once more. Nuhir pushed her onto the ground and smirked evilly. Claire looked over and saw the dagger merely inches away and went to grab it, only to have Nuhir kick it away and grab her wrist. His other hand grabbed her throat and his eyes bore into hers.

"Get ready to say goodbye." Claire moved her other hand around to try and grab something, anything. She felt her hand touch a cool metal, and she knew instantly that it was a phaser, she just needed to get a handle on it. The pressure on her neck increased and it was only a matter of time. She needed to get that phaser.

* * *

"Why the hell won't you just die!" Riley snapped, punching Jim in the face. Jim fell into his chair but kicked the man in the stomach. He needed to get Riley down, or kill him. He lunged forward and tried to pin the man down, but Riley just shoved him away and punched him in the side. Jim fell to the floor and looked over, his eyes resting on a large dagger. He went to grab it, only to have Riley step on his hand. Jim let out a painful scream and used his strength to move away as Riley picked up the dagger.

He barely got out of the way before the knife sliced a thin cut into his chest. It wasn't deep enough to seriously hurt him, but it was enough to cause a bit of pain. He immediately took the defensive and began to evade the man as he tried to stick the dagger into him. Riley soon became frustrated and lunged forward, trapping Jim between himself and the com.

"It's all over Jim, Nuhir will take care of your bitch, and I will take care of you. It's over!" Jim struggled to keep the dagger away from his chest.

"Riley," Jim hissed. He was going to try and reason with him one more time.

"Don't bother Jim. My only regret was not killing Claire in front of you. Making her cry out for mercy while I tortured her, and hearing you plead with me to spare her. Don't worry, Nuhir will make her death long and painful. Like I said, it's over!" Jim felt his blood boil and glared at him.

"The hell it is!" he snapped. He moved to the side and let Riley stick the dagger into the shut off computer. Jim grabbed the back of his head and slammed it into the hard surface. Riley went to grab a hold of the dagger but Jim beat him to it and stuck it deep into Riley's chest. Riley froze and his eyes went wide before looking down at the weapon now in his chest. Jim gave a heavy sigh and took a step back.

"I'm sorry… I had to," Jim said. Riley just looked at him before he fell to his knees and looked up.

"Jim…" he whispered. Jim frowned and felt his heart sink as he realized he had just killed one of his old friends.

"It's over…" Jim whispered. Riley looked down at the floor before looking up at the ceiling.

"Amy…" Riley stared at the ceiling for another moment before he fell to the side and became lifeless. Jim was about to give a sigh of relief when he realized Claire and Nuhir will still fighting. He turned around just in time to hear a phaser shoot through the room and his eyes searched the room for his girlfriend. His eyes locked on two figures, though he couldn't the front. The saw the Romulan man's back and Claire's legs. What he didn't see was who had the phaser. He was frozen in place as he realized the possibility that Claire might have been shot.

A second later, the Romulan fell to the side and Claire sat up, moving as far away from him as she could. Jim gave a huge sigh of relief and walked up to her. Claire stayed on the ground and looked up as Jim kneeled down beside her.

"Jim," she breathed. He cupped her face in his hands and looked down at her, his heart clenching as he met her eyes.

"You okay? You hurt?" she shook her head.

"I'm fine, I'm just bruised." Jim let out another sigh of relief and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and letting his face rest in her neck to take in her scent.

"Claire," he whispered. Claire felt tears fall down her cheeks and she pulled him tighter. He pulled away and placed a hand on her cheek. Words could not express how happy he was to see that she wasn't hurt, or better yet, not dead.

"Jim, I was so worried…" She told him, burying in her face in his chest. Jim winced slightly from his various injuries, but it was worth it just to hold her in his arms again.

"Shush, it's okay now. Everything is going to be okay," he soothed her. Claire relaxed in his arms as he gently lifted her chin so that she was looking into his relieved blue eyes. "For all three of us."

"Hey guys!" Claire never wanted to hurt her brother more so than she did in that moment.

"Ryan? Anna? I'm so glad you guys are okay," Jim said, not loosening his hold on Claire, but moving so he could see the two drop down from the ceiling. Ryan looked at the corpses on the ground.

"Well, you guys obviously don't need my help. Not that I ever doubted you guys, but still," he said, walking up to his sister and his captain. Anna just looked at the scene before her.

"This is such a nice place for your romantic moment," she stated, following Ryan. Jim held out his arms for the two to join him.

"Normally I'm not a hugging kind of person, but come here," he said. Claire smiled as she felt her brother and Anna join them.

"So today was pretty intense," she stated, after about a minute of their group hug. Ryan and Anna pulled away, his arm circling her shoulders and pulling her close as Jim did the same to Claire.

"Nothing that we couldn't handle," Ryan replied. Jim nodded and winced when Claire touched a certain part of his side.

"We better get to sickbay," she said. Jim felt the urge to cringe but stopped himself.

"Great, now I have to deal with Bones and the mass amount of hypo sprays."

"You won't have to worry about that. We are getting help from another Starfleet ship soon, so our doctors can have a break," Ryan said.

"Wow, you're really on top of this, aren't you Conaway?" Jim asked.

"All part of the job, sir."

* * *

_SUPER NINJA REVIEW REPLY TIME! :D_

**_Yayyou_**  
_**Jeck:** Well thank you, we try. Then again, we're funny people by nature so it's not that hard._  
_**Raxsah:** That was interesting to write. Speaking from someone who has a little brother, I can't imagine switching places with my brother. It's just weird. Hahahahaaa._

**_amberhathaway_**  
_**Raxsah:** Evil? That's a little far. I'd prefer the term, really, really, really, really mean._  
_**Jeck:** Why thank you! I was born and raised by the devil, so I'm glad to see it's paying off._

**_Lintered_**  
_**Jeck: **Yeah, mean… evil… that would be us. Although this time, it was Raxsah's idea. So secretly, we're both evil. Not just me. lol_  
_**Raxsah:** Thank you Jeck for putting this all on me. It was a joint decision. I said "Let's be mean," and she said "YES!" Hopefully this will make up for it._

**_X-PANIC_**  
_**Raxsah:** Though I do not condone addiction, I'm glad you like our story, and our rants. Jim is secretly is a dumb blonde. It's okay, we still love him. I think Riley got what he deserved, but that is just me. I can't imagine having to potty train your sibling in their body. I'd imagine it would be quite entertaining. Hahahahaaa._  
_**Jeck:** Now, now, don't blame all your problems on balls. I mean I do, but I'm a lesbian. We're kind of addicted to our story too… that's why we're writing a new one! :D I don't know… I'd probably open the box. Curiosity killed the Kat. Satisfaction brought it back. We thought the sibling switch was funny. I mean seriously, how awkward is that!_  
_BTW- THANKS SO MUCH! My recovery wasn't too bad, but then again, I had Raxsah here to help me put my socks on! :D She's so fucking amazing, I'll have you guys know!_

**_SWfangirl21_**  
_**Jeck:** A villain is a villain in my opinion. I mean, even if you're not completely evil, you're still doing bad things. Oh well. Yeah, Liam and Alex are a special kind of people. But we all know they're meant to be! And thank you for the tip, I'll keep that in mind. :D PRETTY FIREWORKS! WEEEEEEE! Yeah, bye-bye trader. Traitor. Whatever. Lol I'm glad you like to quote us. It's good to know that we write quoting worthy things. Well, this was kind of brought on by one of those kind of questions, "What would you do if you could be a boy for a day?" Except instead of just any boy, you're your brother. FUN TIMES! We have a bunch of those priceless moments. Yeah, poor Rupert. We kind of start neglecting him towards the end. Tell me know, didn't you want to know what was in the box? Best way to do that is OPEN 'ER UP! YAY FOR PUDDING AND ZOMBIE SEX FACE!_  
_**Raxsah:** Riley is Voldemort? Wow… that's a first. I'm not one for killing two babies in one story. Liam and Alex are those people that will be together no matter what, regardless of the bullshit that happens. We make a lot of shit blow up. Just like that. "It go Boom!" as my cousin would say. I dedicate that couple of lines to my mother, who uses the monkey line constantly. Just for the record, I have never seen a monkey fall out of a tree. I think in a normal situation, Ryan would be majorly pissed, but those damn hormones took over and shit happens. Jim now knows! Probably not the best way in the world to find out that you're going to be a father, but… oh well. Shit happens. Hope you liked this chapter. We'll start working on your side story as soon as we can. Kay?_

_**Raxsah:** One down, one more to go. Can you believe it?_  
_**Jeck:** I cannot. It's really sad to know it's almost over. But we had a good run, I think._  
_**Raxsah:** Yeah, it was fun. But now we must move on and enjoy what we've had. Though we may be done writing them, they shall never die._  
_**Jeck:** And we got a side story to follow this one. And our new story too! HUZZAH! :D_  
_**Raxsah:** Yay! With more hot and steam sex in a bush… wait… no, that's what I meant._  
_**Jeck: **I thought it was in a van? Wasn't there sex in a van in there somewhere? Oh wait… WE HAVEN'T WRITTEN THAT PART YET! XP_  
_**Raxsah:** I shall work on it. True to her word, Jeck has gotten me writing like a slut. XD Good thing I didn't put money on that shit._  
_**Jeck:** I'm the bad influence half. Less so since Raxsah has got me writing like a romantic though. Go figure. Reversal of the roles._  
_**Raxsah:** That seems to be happening a lot recently. O.o maybe it's Karma. Oh well. Though this may seem like the end, it's not. One more chapter, then it really is the end. So review now before it is too late!_  
_**Jeck: **Well, one more chapter plus the epilogue. Which might end of being a couple of chapters since it's as long as three of our longest chapters._  
_**Raxsah:** We couldn't let it go, it was too hard. Anyway, until next week, and the weeks after that. Cherish it while you can!_  
_**Jeck: **Yeah, really. What are you going to do when it's over? You might want to start preparing now. Rehab… drugs… sex… violence… now is time to get that stuff straightened out._  
_**Raxsah:** Again, we are not responsible with withdrawal symptoms. Please don't hurt us. Till later peeps!_  
_**Jeck: **ZOMBIE ORGASM FACE!_


	27. Closing Time

_**Raxsah: **__Such an interesting weekend, it's almost sad to see the close come to posting the last actual chapter of the story. I might cry… it's almost as sad as Dobby dying in the HP movie. D: Poor Dobby.  
__**Jeck: **__That part was pretty sad… and if it's a spoiler to you, you shouldn't bother seeing the movie until you read the book!  
__**Raxsah: **__For realz. Though, I think the movie is a little better than the book, but then again, I haven't seen part two yet. ANYWAY, Enough about Harry Potter, let's talk about Star Trek. We're practically done! It's a little sad… or a lota sad… either way.  
__**Jeck: **__Here's the last chapter! HUZZAH! And then we're onto the long ass epilogue!  
__**Raxsah: **__This is the story that never ends, it goes on and on my friends… Not really, I mean… eventually it ends, but not right now. Blah… Anyway, thanks to all who have stuck with us. We wouldn't be as motivated to post without your support. It makes me feel good about myself.  
__**Jeck: **__And self-esteem is always a good thing. Even if it's from a bunch of dorks who read fan fiction for a living. :D And I mean that with love! 3  
__**Raxsah: **__We're dorks as well. Not only fan fiction dorks, but music dorks, Resident Evil dorks, and even in some cases Trekkies. Yeah… I'm pretty sure we're nerds at this point.  
__**Jeck: **__Hint to what our new story is about. lol I've been called many things… a dork, a nerd, a geek, and my favorite; a loser. A loser running on a few hours of sleep. But none the less, WE BRING NEW CHAPPIE! :D  
__**Raxsah: **__YAY! Now that we are almost done uploading this story, we can start with our new one while partying out the holidays. And maybe even start writing our Music History paper that was assigned in the middle of October… maybe.  
__**Jeck: **__Or start our public service announcement for English that was due a week ago. Or shut up so you can read the chapter! :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, ENJOY PEEPS!_

**

* * *

**

Chapter 27: Closing Time

* * *

Claire walked up to the bed her best friend now occupied and smiled down at him. He was bandaged up and had a few bruises, but looked fine otherwise.

"Hey… how you feeling?" she asked. Alex looked up and smiled.

"Better than you, what happened to your shoulder?" he asked. She sighed.

"They figured out that this was my bad shoulder, and used it against me. But I'm in one piece," she said, sitting on the bed.

"And the parasite?" he asked. She smiled, flinching a little at her bruised cheek.

"It's fine. McCoy checked me over and said it's still intact. Which is a bit surprising seeing how many times I fell." He chuckled, but stopped upon doing so.

"Ouch," he muttered.

"So, how are you doing?" Claire asked, watching as a few doctors from the other starship walked around.

"Fine, I'm slowly healing. They don't think any internal organs were damaged, but they have to wait and watch." She nodded and gave a heavy sigh.

"How are you and Liam?" she asked.

"I'll let you know when I find out. What about you and Jim?" she shrugged one of her shoulders, since the other one was bandaged.

"Fine, I guess. He's getting himself checked out right now. I'll see him when he's done being all bandaged. McCoy said he'll be in sickbay for the night."

"And, he knows?" She nodded.

"He knows." Alex sighed and looked up at her.

"Well then, that's that…" she nodded and leaned forward, kissing his cheek.

"Get well soon, work just isn't the same if you're not going around being an asshole," she said, a smirk on her lips.

"Oh, I feel the love."

* * *

Ryan leaned against his pillows as Liam finished checking him out. Anna sat in a chair next to Ryan's bed, watching as their gay friend finished his work.

"Well, you'll be fine. The cuts are starting to heal, so you'll have a few scars. The burns worried me a bit, but we'll take care of it. For right now, just relax. I've got a few other patients to take care of," Liam explained, cleaning up his tools. Ryan nodded and gave Liam a pat on his shoulder.

"Thanks buddy. You should hurry up soon so you can go spend some time with Alex," Ryan suggested. Liam nodded.

"I don't want to screw up with any of my patients, but I might go check on him real quick. Take care and I'll see you guys later," Liam said, waving as he left. Ryan watched the man leave before turning back to Anna.

"I'm glad you weren't hurt or anything," he said to her, smiling as she scooted onto the bed with him, careful to not touch his injuries. Ryan wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.

"It's killing me to see you like this," she told him, caressing the side of his face. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. Anna smiled as he grabbed her hand and placed a soft kiss on it.

"Trust me, it's not that bad," he told her, trying to comfort her. Anna nodded and rested her head on his shoulders.

"I know, but you never really want to see the person you love hurt," she told him. Ryan smiled as placed a kiss on the crown of her head.

"No, you never do. Anna…" Anna looked up at Ryan to see him deep in thought.

"What's wrong?" She asked, pulling away slightly. Ryan pulled her back to him and smiled.

"Nothing's wrong. It's just… I wanted to wait because Colleen and I, we rushed things. But after everything that's happened, I know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you and only you. I might not have a ring and it doesn't have to be any time soon, but I want to marry you, Anna. I want you to be in my life."

"Was that a proposal?" she asked softly. He paused before nodding.

"Yes. Will you marry me?" he asked. She smiled and kissed him softly.

"I think I can do that."

* * *

Claire frowned as she saw the state of her boyfriend. He had plenty of bandages on him, and he looked dead tired. She walked up to his bed and looked down, smiling lightly as he opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"Hey… you feeling better?" she asked. He gave a small nod.

"I've felt better, but I'm getting there. You alright?" she nodded.

"Yeah, just some bruises and such. I'm in better shape than you are," she told him, chuckling lightly. He nodded and looked down at her stomach before looking back up at her.

"And.. The um…" he trailed off and pressed his lips together.

"The baby is fine. McCoy needs to check a couple more times before he is certain, but he's pretty sure that it's fine." Jim nodded and took a deep breath, as deep as he could get in his condition. There was a pause between them before she spoke.

"So… you're going to need your rest." Jim reached out and took a hold of her hand, pulling her closer.

"Here, don't leave," he said, pulling her onto the bed. He maneuvered her so she was laying in-between his legs, and she laid down gently so she didn't hurt him. Jim didn't care, he just pulled her closer and let his chin rest on her head.

"You okay?" she asked. He nodded and let his arms wrap around her middle.

"As okay as I'm going to be," he confessed. She sighed and leaned into him, her body becoming relaxed immediately. He could tell she was tired, it was only a matter of time before she was going to be asleep. His hands went to wrap around her more and pulled her closer, but stopped when they rested on her stomach. His heart gave a small jump when he realized that inside that stomach, a small child was growing. A small child that was a little bit of him and Claire put together. For some reason, the thought brought a smile to his face. Sure there was the anxiety and fear, but it wasn't as bad as the few pregnancy scares back in high school and in the academy. This time, it was different.

"So, you're keeping the baby?" he asked. The word baby felt weird rolling off his tongue. Claire opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Do you want the baby?" she asked softly. His blue eyes met her grey and he could see the sudden fear in her eyes.

"If it makes you happy. If you want this baby, I will stand by you because I love you. If you don't want it, I understand that as well." Claire nodded.

"I know, but what do you want?" Jim paused as he considered the options. Did he want to be a father? After looking down at Claire for a few more minutes he let his hand rub her stomach a little and kissed her lightly.

"I think I want to have this baby. I mean, you went through all that abuse and it's still in there, it must really want to be born." Claire laughed and kissed him once more.

"I love you," she muttered. He smiled and let his forehead rest on hers.

"I love you too."

* * *

"Liam, I see you," Alex said with a smile as Liam stopped. He had been walking past Alex's room a few times, trying to make sure that the man was alright. Alex was amused at first to see how concerned his ex-boyfriend was being, but now it was just annoying.

"Busted?" Liam asked, walking into the room. Alex figured that if Liam was a dog, his tail would be would be in between in legs in shame.

"Very busted," Alex said as Liam took a seat next to him.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright," he admitted.

"You could've just come in to see for yourself," Alex told him. Liam hung his head in shame.

"I know…"

"You're nervous about having this conversation, aren't you?" Alex asked, taking Liam's hand into his own. Liam felt his cheeks turn crimson as Alex gave him a knowing smile.

"Kind of. Aren't you?" He inquired. Alex's smile disappeared.

"Maybe a little, but I don't know. I kind of figured things were pretty straight forward now," he said, trying to explain his point of view to Liam. Liam bit his lip and sighed.

"I know that I care about you, a lot. I never stopped. But it feels like there's all this crap we have to get through first," he said. Alex shook his head.

"Actually, it seems pretty simple to me. Obviously, we're going to have trust issues, but we can work through that together," Alex said, scooting over to make room for Liam.

"I like the sound of together," Liam said, crawling into bed with his boyfriend. It felt so good to think of him as his boyfriend again. Alex wrapped his arm around Liam and pulled him closer.

"I missed this so much," Alex said, relaxing into the familiar position.

"You know, I probably shouldn't be doing this. You need a chance to heal and I don't want to accidentally-" But Liam's words were cut short as Alex closed the gap between them. Liam was surprised at first, but began to kiss back, a hungry passion finally snapping. After a few minutes, Alex pulled away.

"Let the healing begin."

* * *

"Thank god for being back on earth!" Ryan said. Claire nodded and enjoyed the feeling of the sun on her face.

"Yeah. No work, no bosses, no significant others, not bad guys trying to kill us," Claire said. Ryan sighed and nodded, glancing over at his sister on the bench.

"Where is Jim? When my girlfriend was pregnant I never let her out of my sight," Ryan said, sticking his nose in the air. Claire rolled her eyes and leaned back.

"That's because you're an overprotective hoverer. Jim is at some meeting with a couple admirals about what happened on the ship. Apparently they are giving the _Enterprise _a new assignment." He nodded.

"So, will you see him at all while we're here?" he asked, a small smile on his face. She rolled her eyes.

"Of course! We're having dinner tonight. A nice expensive dinner. I'm taking him out and wearing my best dress. God knows when the next time I'll fit in it is going to be." Ryan shook his head and leaned back, letting his skin soak in the sun.

"Sounds nice…"

"What about your Fiancée? Will you be seeing her sometime this week?" she asked. Ryan smiled and dug into his pocket, pulling out a small black box.

"I got the ring, you'll love it." Claire moved closer and took the box from him. She opened it and smiled immediately.

"You got Grandma Conaway's eight karat engagement ring?" she asked, looking at the huge rock. Thankfully, the diamond was set tastefully on the band, so it wasn't obnoxious, but still very big.

"Yeah, believe it or not, Fleur sent it to me. She was cleaning out the kitchen and saw the mom was going to throw it out." Claire shook her head.

"Mom's a jealous bitch, she's just mad that Nana never gave it to her and said that it was going straight to you." Ryan shrugged and put the ring away.

"You think she'll like it?" he asked.

"If she doesn't she's out of her damn mind." Before Ryan could reply, they were interrupted by a small cough, causing them both to look over and stand up and salute.

"Admiral Pike." Admiral Pike gave a kind smile and saluted them back.

"At ease. You must be the Conaway siblings," he said, shaking both their hands.

"Yes sir," Ryan answered.

"I've heard a lot about you, the both of you," Pike said. Claire smiled as Ryan blushed, still in shock in meeting the Admiral.

"Thank you, sir. Honestly, it's an honor to meet you," he told Pike. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, he's slightly gushing over meeting you. This obviously doesn't happen too often to us," she explained to Pike, who chuckled.

"If I said it doesn't happen a lot, I'd be lying. Actually, perhaps you and I could talk later, Mr. Conaway. As long as you're not busy," Pike offered. Ryan felt his heart soar as he eagerly nodded.

"That would be awesome, sir," Ryan said as Pike chuckled again. Watching some of the younger members of Starfleet turn into fan-girls and fan-boys in front of him never got old.

"Good. Perhaps you could meet me for dinner. Feel free to bring you significant other. Congratulations on your engagement, by the way," he added. If it was possibly, Ryan felt himself completely turn to mush. Today had to be one of the best days of his life.

"How did you know?" He asked. Pike just smiled wider.

"I have my ways." Pike gave a small nod to Claire before leaving. Claire waited till he was a safe distance away before laughing.

"Hey, stop being mean!" he said. Claire chuckled and gave her brother a hug.

"I love you, but you're a dork." He rolled his eyes.

"Okay, do I even have to mention you when you first met Jim?" He pointed out.

"Yes, but that was love at first sight. Are you in love with Admiral Pike?" she asked. Ryan shot her a look and gently pushed her aside. He began walking toward the officer dorms, but Claire simply followed him.

"You were adopted," he stated.

"That stopped working when I was like five, dude," she pointed out.

"You were dropped on your head as a kid."

"Psh, who wasn't?"

"Our parents never loved you."

"Oh cry me a river."

"You were born a guy." Claire stopped walking and Ryan followed in suit. She looked down at her stomach before looking up at him and shaking her head.

"Yeah, that one doesn't really work."

"I guess not. You were still adopted."

"If only I were that lucky."

* * *

"Liam, I'm not crippled," Alex snapped as Liam pushed him through the crowd of Starfleet crew members. Liam smiled at his aggravated and continued to push him.

"True, but as your doctor and your boyfriend, I think the best thing for you is to take this wheelchair," Liam insisted. Alex sighed and relaxed into the metal chair.

"Now I know how Ryan felt that time Claire made him ride in a wheelchair," he grumbled.

"Yes, because she cared about him. And he came out without problems following his injuries," he said, reminding Alex who merely sighed.

"This is stupid. McCoy cleared me to walk yesterday." Liam rolled his eyes and continued to roll him until they reached the dorms.

"How about this, I wait on you hand and foot until you're all better. What do you say?" Liam asked, a smirk on his face. Alex thought about it for a moment before smiling.

"I like that idea."

* * *

Ryan straightened out his dress shirt as he looked over at Anna, who was smiling at her engagement ring. Sure she expected a ring, but this was just gorgeous. After a minute of smiling at her ring, she looked back up at her fiancé.

"So, what do you think the admiral wants?" she asked. Ryan shrugged as he waited for the hostess to seat them.

"No clue. Maybe they'll give me the _Enterprise_."

"You'll have to pry it from Jim's cold dead hands." The two of them began to laugh but sobered up as they reached the table.

"Commander Conaway, Ensign Lopez, it's lovely to meet you. This is Admiral Archer, as you both know." Ryan's face lit up as he shook the mans hand.

"Wow, it is a pleasure to meet you!" Admiral Archer smiled and sat down, the rest of the following in suit.

"So, you two are getting married?" Archer asked. Both Anna and Ryan nodded.

"Ah, to be young and in love again. You remember those days?" Pike asked. Archer chuckled and shook his head.

"It's been far too long. I barely remember which captains I assign to where." Everyone laughed lightly and ordered their food.

"So, you might be wondering why we have invited you out?" Pike asked. Ryan gave a small nod.

"Not that we don't appreciate it, sir. But the question did come up."

"Usually we would do this in the office. But the _Enterprise _is about to embark on a five year mission, and we've had a lot to do," Archer said, taking a sip of his scotch. Pike raised an eyebrow and shot the admiral a look, but turned back to the young officers.

"Anyway, we're here because we've heard about your accomplishments, and Captain Kirk has asked that you be commended for all the work you have done for his ship." Ryan's eyes went wide.

"He did?" he asked.

"Yup, that young man is the most outrageous Captain I've seen in a while. He'll be Admiral one day. You will too boy. If this captain thing goes nicely," Archer said. Ryan and Anna's jaw's dropped as the Admiral's words registered.

"You… you mean… what?" Ryan asked. Pike sighed but smiled at the young man.

"You have been offered the position of Captain on the Security ship, the U.S.S. Ivory. It's sister ship the U.S.S. Ebony will be accompanying you for the first few months before you depart on your four year mission," he explained. Ryan completely froze, causing everyone at the table to turn to him. His expression was that of surprise and confusion. Had he heard right? Did they just offer him a ship? He was going to be a captain?

"I… sir… that's…" Anna placed a gentle hand on her future husband's arm and smiled.

"I do apologize for his word vomit, he's just really surprised, that's all," Anna said, trying to give Ryan a moment to compose himself.

"That's quite alright, Anna. You don't mind if I call you Anna, do you? I know it's not formal, but I figure since we're doing this the informal way," Archer said. Anna smiled and nodded.

"Anna is quite alright, thanks," she said. Pike chuckled when he realized Ryan was still stuck in his trance.

"We've seen some pretty interesting responses to being offered the captain position. A few years ago, Captain Cooper actually wet himself in my office when I told him the news," Archer told them. Everyone burst out laughing, causing Ryan to snap out of his trance.

"Sir, I'm so very honored… this is unbelievable!" He said excitedly, reaching across the table to shake hands with both Pike and Archer. In the process, he accidentally knocked over both his and Anna's glass of wine.

"Ryan!" Anna cried, jumping out of the way of the spilt wine. She didn't want her red wine to stain her dress.

"Sorry, I get a bit clumsy when I'm excited," he apologized, beginning to dab at the mess as Pike signaled for a waiter or waitress.

"Let's hope you're not that clumsy when you take control of your own ship," Archer said with a smile, watching the chaos at the table. A waiter approached the table.

"What can I get you, sir?" He asked.

"We need someone to clean up this mess," Pike instructed, gesturing to you spilt drinks. Ryan gave the waiter an apologetic smile as the waiter left to get some cleaning supplies. Ryan leaned back into his chair, running a nervous hand through his hair.

"Wow, this is so big," he mumbled, mostly to himself. Anna retook her seat and grabbed his hand.

"So, do you accept?" Pike asked, pouring the couple more wine. Ryan burst out laughing.

"Of course! Who would be stupid enough to say no?" Pike chuckled and Archer shrugged.

"You'd be surprised. We offered a doctor the position of Chief Medical Officer earlier today and she turned it down. She said she was happier with serving on the ship she was on. I was quite surprised to hear her say so, especially from one so young." Ryan and Anna exchanged looks but didn't say anything.

"We're glad you accept. We're looking forward to seeing you in action," Pike said. Ryan smiled and shook his hand.

"Thank you, sir."

* * *

"This is nice," Jim said, smiling at Claire. Claire nodded and shifted in the booth a bit. They had decided to take a seat in a small booth in the back, where there weren't as many people.

"Yeah, I remember coming here a while ago, back in the academy, with a few friends," Claire said, reminiscing to her carefree days in Starfleet academy.

"This really isn't a friend restaurant," he pointed out. Claire turned a light pink and looked up at her boyfriend, her eyes meeting his.

"No, it isn't," she agreed. Jim nodded and left the subject alone as the waitress walked over.

"Hello, what can I get the two of you?" she asked.

"Two glasses and a bottle of your best red wine," he said. The waitress nodded and went to walk off, but Claire stopped her.

"Actually, can I have a coke?" The waitress nodded and crossed a few things off of the check before walking off. Jim turned toward his girlfriend and gave a curious look.

"No wine?" he asked.

"You can't drink when you're pregnant Jim," she reminded him. He turned a little red and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry, it slipped my mind," he confessed. She shrugged and sighed. They came here for a reason, but had yet to actually talk about it.

"So… we uh… need to figure out what we are going to do. About the baby…" Jim furrowed his eyebrows.

"I thought we were keeping it?" Claire smiled at his use of 'we', showing that he wasn't just going to leave her on her own.

"Well, yeah. What I mean is… should I stay on earth or stay on the _Enterprise_?" she asked. Jim frowned and thought it over. His first reaction would be to stay, but he needed to think further. What would be safer for his child? Where did he want to raise his child?

"I don't know. What do you think?" he asked. She paused and looked up at the waitress brought them their drinks.

"Thanks," Claire said. They quickly ordered and the table became silent once more.

"Samantha and Kevin Fisher left the ship," she said softly.

"After what happened I don't blame them." She nodded and took a sip of her drink.

"Yeah, I'm not sure a starship is a great place to raise a kid…" Jim nodded but felt his heart sink. If Claire decided she wanted to stay on earth, he would follow her. That meant leaving his ship, and it pained him to do so. After a few minutes of silence he took her hand in his and gave her a small smile.

"I asked Scotty to build a nursery," he said. Her eyes went wide before a smile came to her lips.

"You did?" she asked softly. He nodded and chuckled.

"I guess I just… got excited. I thought we were going to raise it on the ship. But if you want to stay on earth, I'll stay with you." Claire smiled and moved closer, pressing her forehead to his.

"I want to raise this child somewhere that makes both of us happy. And let's face it; neither of us would be happy on earth." Jim nodded and kissed her, almost as if thanking her for making the choice.

"You got that right," he muttered, causing them both to laugh.

"Well, it's nice to get that elephant out of the room," Claire said, taking a relaxed sip of coke. Jim chuckled.

"Calling it a parasite is one thing, but an elephant? That's just mean," he playfully teased. Claire slammed her cup down, giving him a fake glare.

"You know what I mean," she replied, causing Jim to give her a shit-eating grin.

"You love me," he whispered across the table. Claire smiled.

"Of course. We probably wouldn't be sitting here if I didn't," she countered as the waitress returned to the table.

"Would you two like anything else?"

* * *

"CLAIRE!" Claire jumped about ten feet in the air and turned around. Alex, though startled, began laughing at his best friends jumpiness.

"Shut up, Alex," She hissed.

"Claire! I have the best news ever!" Claire smiled as he brother skid to a stop in front of her.

"What's the news?" she asked. Alex took a step back, giving the siblings more room. If he knew them well enough, and if it was big news, someone would be jumping into someone's arms.

"They just appointed me Captain of the U.S.S. Ivory! I'm going to have my own ship, and Anna's going to be the Chief of Security!" he said. Claire's eyes went wide and a big smile broke out on her lips.

"Oh my God! Ryan, that's great!" she said, jumping into his arms and giving him a huge hug. Alex just rolled his eyes and sighed. After a minute Ryan pulled away.

"Can you believe this? I'm actually a Captain! This is amazing! I need to tell Rupert!" She nodded and kissed him on the cheek.

"Alright, I'll see you at dinner tonight," she told him. He smiled and took off, going to tell whoever else he could about his new position. Alex took a step closer to Claire and looked at her.

"You didn't tell him?" he asked. She shook her head.

"I didn't see the point. I told them no."

"Still, to be the youngest CMO in the fleet? I don't know how you could turn that down. Especially on the ship your brother was going to be the captain of." Claire sighed and turned to her best friend.

"I don't want to be CMO, believe it or not, I'm happy just working under McCoy. And after I talked with him about it, I don't think I'm ready… maybe in like ten years. But for now, I'm just going to stay on the _Enterprise_." Alex rolled his eyes and looked at the watch on his wrist.

"Well, you're out of your mind, but I actually have to meet Liam. I'll see you tomorrow?" she nodded.

"Say hi to Liam for me." He nodded and pulled her into a quick hug before leaving to meet his boyfriend.

* * *

"RUPERT!" Rupert looked up from his beer to see Ryan running into his room.

"Well hello to you too," Rupert said, taking a drag of his cigarette and setting his beer down on the table. Ryan looked over his best friend.

"Rough night?" He asked, gesturing to the alcohol and cigarette. Rupert nodded and chuckled.

"The roughest girl I've met in a long time," Rupert said, causing Ryan to smile.

"Some things you probably shouldn't tell me," Ryan said, taking a seat next to the British man.

"No, I shouldn't tell you that I have a hickey on my ball sack and that there are claw marks all down my ass," Rupert said, taking another swig of beer.

"I wish I could just unheard what I just heard," Ryan mumbled, trying very hard not to make eye contact with Rupert.

"So what'd you come here to tell me?" He asked causally.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" Ryan said, snapping his fingers as the true reason for his visit popped back into his head.

"Forgot what?"

"Rupert… I'm a captain! They've made me captain of the _U.S.S. Ivory_!" He exclaimed. Rupert smiled and almost dropped his cigarette.

"That's fantastic, mate!" He practically screamed, moving to give Ryan and man hug to which Ryan returned.

"I've got some more good news too," Ryan said as her best friend pulled away.

"Better news than that? Because I already know that you and Anna are going to get married and I don't know what could top that for you," Rupert said, reclaiming his seat.

"Well, it's not good news for me. Well, it is. But it's really good news for you," Ryan explained.

"Don't keep me waiting any long, what's the word?" Rupert asked, finishing his cigarette and downing the last of his beer. Ryan smiled.

"My ship is going to need a chief engineer and there isn't anyone in the world who I trust more with my new ship than you, buddy," Ryan told him.

"Wow… really?" Ryan nodded.

"Yeah. So… do you accept?" Rupert stood up and picked up another cigarette.

"I believe I will." Ryan chuckled and pulled him into a hug.

"Thanks man… God, can you believe they gave me my own ship?" Rupert pulled away and lit his cigarette.

"I can't believe that you made me chief engineer. I don't know jack shit about machines." Ryan chuckled and shook his head.

"Yeah, so you just coasted through Starfleet, right?" Rupert shrugged.

"Must be a family thing."

* * *

Anna looked up at her boyfriend as he nervously began messing with the buttons on his uniform.

"Calm down, you have nothing to be nervous about!" Anna told him.

"What if I fall? Or forget to speak?" Anna chuckled and kissed him. He leaned into the kiss and pulled her to him. After a minute she pulled away and placed a hand on her cheek.

"Just breathe. You won't fall, and you won't forget to speak. God, I hope you're not like this on our wedding day…" he chuckled and kissed her again.

"Hey, stop preparing for the damn honeymoon and get ready to be captain. There is plenty of time to play hide the sausage on your own ship!" Liam said. Claire scrunched her nose.

"Eww, Liam!" She snapped, causing everyone to burst out into laughter. Ryan bit his lip and turned to look at himself in a mirror.

"Who would've thought that one day I'd be captain of my own ship?" He muttered, smiling at his reflection. Claire's head popped up next to the mirror and smiled.

"Not me, that's for sure," she said, ruffling his hair a little. Ryan quickly began to try to fix his short hair, not wanting anything to be amiss on his big day.

"Claire, stop messing with your brother. Ryan, stop messing with your hair," Anna scolded, going to fix his slowly growing hair. He had decided to grow it out a bit again.

"I'm just playing around, Ry. I didn't doubt you for a second," she told him.

"I'd hope not," he muttered, starting to play with his buttons again. Anna slapped his hands away, but smiled. He was so adorable when he was nervous.

"Hey guys, would you mind giving Ryan and me a few minutes?" Claire asked, addressing all of their friends. One by one, everyone left the room until only the Conaway siblings stood alone. Ryan began pinning on his cufflinks and Claire moved forward to help him.

"So, I leave for the _Ivory _tomorrow," he said softly. Claire nodded and forced a smile on her lips.

"The _Enterprise _leaves in a couple of days. They just finished some repairs and the senior officers have a few things to go over. Other than that we're pretty much right behind you," she said. After a minute she finished his cufflinks and looked up at him.

"Right behind me and half a galaxy away…" she nodded and forced another smile.

"But you have your own ship, so it's alright." He placed a hand on her shoulder and sighed.

"It won't be as bad as before. We've been through a lot this past year. You have Liam, Alex, and Jim." She nodded.

"I know, I just… a lot is going on," she confessed, looking down at her shoes. Ryan pressed his lips together before giving a small chuckle.

"You scared? About the baby?" he asked. She nodded and looked up.

"Of course I'm scared. I'm going to be a mom in about five months. I know that I'll have people to help me and all, but I always… I always figured that when something that big came around, you'd be there with me to watch over me. Now you're going to be galaxies away and… you're going to be married! We're both taking huge steps in our lives and… we won't even be there to see them." Ryan sighed and pulled his baby sister into a hug.

"I know, I know. It's scary. I'm sorry I can't be there. I'm going to miss you like crazy. But you will make it through this, you always do. Somehow, you always find a way to take care of yourself and bounce back. Sure you might need some help, but you usually figure things out by yourself after a while. And through I think Jim is an asshole… he's your asshole, and I believe he'll take care of you. You and the baby. I promise I'll call you constantly, and I'll make sure Anna and I don't get married until you're there to witness it. Things will work out Claire-bear… I promise," he said. She pulled away and kissed his cheek.

"I love you. I'm really proud of you Ry. If mom and dad weren't such jackasses, they'd be proud of you too," she told him. Ryan felt his lip quiver, but he forced himself not to cry. He was not going to cry in front of his little sister.

"You know, maybe one day they'll make you CMO of a ship. Wouldn't that be awesome?" He said, straightening out his suit. Claire forced a chuckled and gave him a half-hearted smile.

"Yeah, that would be awesome. Ry, I've got to tell you something," she started. Ryan raised his eyebrow.

"Please tell me the baby is Jim's," he said, causing Claire to burst out laughing.

"No, nothing like that. It's just… I was offered the post of CMO on the _Ivory, _but I turned it down," she explained. Ryan allowed the new information to sink in as he thought back to Admiral Archer's words from their dinner together.

"_You'd be surprised. We offered a doctor the position of Chief Medical Officer earlier today and she turned it down. She said she was happier with serving on the ship she was on. I was quite surprised to hear her say so, especially from one so young." _

"Wow, that was you?" He asked. Claire raised an eyebrow.

"Who was me?" Ryan shook his head.

"Never mind. As happy as it would make me to have you CMO on my ship, I know you'll be so much happier with Jim on the _Enterprise_," Ryan told her. Claire relaxed and smiled.

"That went so much better than I thought it would," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. Ryan crossed his arms, giving his sister a fake glare.

"And what did you think I was going to do?" He asked in a joking tone. Claire shrugged.

"I don't know. This new super-cool you is still weird. If this had all happened a year ago, I bet you'd be flipping shit out me right about now," Claire told him. Ryan opened his mouth to deny the allegations, but stopped when he realized that she had a point.

"People change," he reminded her. She nodded and sighed.

"I better get going. I don't want to loose my seat. Spike said he would save it but, lord only knows with that guy." Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"Spike?" he asked. She chuckled and shrugged.

"Shit happens when you are stuck in a cell with a bunch of people. As long as he doesn't hit on me, we're cool." He laughed and kissed the top of her head.

"Alright, I'll see you at the feast?" he asked. She nodded.

"Of course. Congratulations Ryan." He smiled and waited till she left before taking a deep breath. This was it, he was about to become Captain of his own ship.

"Commander Conaway, we're ready for you." Ryan turned to him and smiled.

"Alright, let's go…" the man nodded and he was led into the large conference hall. He made his way to the center of the room, where he was met with a bunch of admirals. Admiral pike smiled at him and looked up at the large group of people.

"Attention!" he called. Everyone stood up and stood at attention and a silence came over them.

"Commander Conaway, you are brought in front of us to be honored for your achievements and awarded for your service to Starfleet. You are to rewarded the title of Captain and given a ship to command. Do you accept the title and all that comes with it?" Admiral Archer asked. Ryan took a deep breath and gave a nod.

"Aye sir." Archer smiled and placed a medal on his jacket and then saluted him.

"You are now Appointed Captain Ryan Tyler Conaway of the _U.S.S. Ivory_… congratulations… Captain."

* * *

"I do like to party," Liam said, cuddling into Alex's arm. They were packed into a booth with the rest of their friends.

"An after party in a bar?" Ryan said, taking a seat next to Anna in the circular booth. Claire chuckled.

"Are you complaining?" She asked as Jim slung an arm around her shoulders. Rupert and Oliver were the only two not there with a girlfriend or boyfriend and merely sat there cuddling their drinks. Oliver was forced to get a 7Up. No one wanted to see a caffeine fuel Oliver.

"No, because this is like the best after party ever!" Ryan said, knocking back a shot of vodka before turning to his beer. It was a good night.

"This might seem kind of silly, but I'd like to make a toast!" Jim announced, picking up his beer with his free hand and held it in the air.

"To what, babe?" Claire asked, grabbing her own glass of soda as the rest of the table mimicked their actions.

"To Ryan! We loathed each other for such a long time, but I'm really happy for him. There's nothing in the world like getting your own ship!" Jim toasted. Everyone clanked their glasses together and took a nice long swig of their drinks. Ryan was the first to place his glass down, but smiled at Jim.

"Wow, thanks Jim."

"Besides, it gets you off my ship and leaves me more alone time with your sister."

"Ah, the ulterior motive emerges," Anna said. Ryan pressed his lips together but tried not to say anything else. At this point, he just had to get over the fact that he was with his sister. Especially since they were now getting ready to have a kid together.

"Psh, like he needed to get Ryan off the ship to fuck Claire. You have no idea how many mornings I had to hear her bitch about how tired she was from the night before," Liam muttered. Claire turned a bright red and buried her face in her hands. Ryan clenched his drink but Anna put a hand on his shoulder.

"Liam, I think comments about that are best left for when Jim leaves," she said. Liam shrugged and cuddled closer to Alex.

"Well… she was only complaining about the being tired part, right? She wasn't complaining about the sex, right?" Jim asked.

"Believe me, she complained about anything but the sex," Alex told him. Jim smiled with pride and Claire glared at her best friend.

"Forget about asking you to be the baby's God father."

"Oh, can I be the God father? I promise I'll buy the baby a ton of presents and dress it as cute as I can!" Liam asked. Claire rolled her eyes.

"We haven't even picked out names, let alone God parents. We should be talking about Ryan! It is his ship after all! You excited?" Ryan sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm more nervous I'm going to screw everything up. But yeah… I guess I'm excited." Jim nodded.

"It was like that right before I kicked Nero's ass. It passes eventually. You still feel a little nervous at times, but it get's a trillion times better to deal with," Jim lectured him. Ryan smiled.

"Thanks for the advice, but I didn't save like the whole universe from Nero. Just some punks on a rouge ship," Ryan said, trying to be modest. Rupert snorted into his whiskey.

"Trying to be modest doesn't look good on you, Ryan," Rupert said, his words already starting to slur. Ryan sighed

"Okay, yeah, I'm a freaking awesome badass," he boasted.

"Dude, I can't see you as a badass," Alex said.

"No, not a badass. Not saying he hasn't partied, just… badass is a step too far," Liam added. Ryan sighed and shrugged.

"I guess badass was always Claire's department," he said, shooting a look at his sister.

"Uh, I was never a badass. I just knew how to have a good time. I only got arrested twice," she pointed out.

"And how many times have you been put in the brig during the academy?" Ryan asked. Claire pressed her lips together and glared at her brother.

"At least they were for good reasons, and not because I woke up naked on the beach." Anna's eyes went wide and she turned toward him.

"Oh my God! That was you!" Ryan turned red and glared at his sister.

"Thanks…" she chuckled and leaned into her boyfriend. After a minute Jim looked at his watch.

"I need to leave, I'll see you tonight?" he asked. She nodded and gave him a quick kiss before he moved out of the booth and looked at Ryan.

"Jim…" Ryan said.

"Ryan… congratulations, and good luck. There is nothing better than owning your own ship. Except maybe having sex on your own ship." Claire rolled her eyes and Ryan chuckled.

"I'll keep that in mind. And thank you…"

* * *

Ryan smiled as he and Anna walked hand and hand back to their room in the dorms. Jim's comment kept replying over and over again in his mind. How nice it would be to claim the ship as his after taking Anna in the captain's chair. Yeah…

"Ryan, what are you thinking about?" Anna asked, gently tugging on his arm that was wrapped around her shoulders. It was an unusually chilly evening, so they couple decided the best thing to do would be to stick close on the way home.

"Oh, uh, nothing," he said, practically squeaky out his answer. Anna noticed the darker tint to his cheeks, even in the low cast moonlight.

"Were you thinking about something dirty?" She a hint of a smile on his lips as she watched Ryan's face grow even darker still.

"Maybe," he whispered in her ear, send shivers down her spine. He nuzzled her neck and wrapped his other arm around her, forcing them to stop. Anna leaned her head back, moaning at the touch.

"So what dirty fantasy were you having then?" She asked, turning her head slightly to nibble on his ear. She knew it drove him crazy.

"I can't wait until we get on the Ivory. I'm going to take you right in the captain's chair," he whispered into her neck, trying to resist the moan that threatened to sip over his lips.

"Home. Now." Ryan didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

Rupert felt stupid, having the very sober Oliver helping him back to his house. A passerby would look and see two drunks, but it was really just a drunk and… well, they had yet to find the correct word to describe Oliver.

"This is why I don't drink," Oliver scolded, trying to balance on the tips of his toes while supporting the British man at the same time. Rupert could a wave of nausea approaching just watching the man wobble from side to side.

"Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick," he mumbled. Oliver's smile merely widened.

"Mr. Ruffles has a remedy for that back at our place. You should come back to our dorm tonight," Oliver offered. Normally, Rupert would give him a good reason for staying away from his dorm, but he was far too drunk to say no.

"Sure," he mumbled, already feeling the alcohol preparing for it's grand reentry into the world.

"You know what's sad?" Oliver said, starting a conversation that Rupert was in no mood to have. However, he took a deep breath and settled himself for one worded answers for awhile.

"What?"

"I think I'm going to miss the Enterprise," Oliver told him as they approached the young engineer's dorm rooms.

"Why?"

"Because I knew the air ducks of that ship like the back of my hand, man. I have to go exploring all over again with Mr. Ruffles," Oliver told him, his eyes seemed to sparkle in the night as he remember the good times he had in the air ducks.

"It's just a new adventure for you two," Rupert said, scolding himself for breaking his one word plan.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Mr. Ruffles got transferred to the Ivory with us," Oliver told him happily. Rupert sighed.

"Can we get up to your room soon? I'd prefer not to vomit in the lobby," Rupert asked. Oliver nodded and they continued up to the young man's room.

* * *

"I'm still not happy," Alex grumbled, bound to the wheelchair once again. Liam pushed off and jumped onto the back of it, enjoying the slight breeze across his face. Alex crossed his arms and sighed.

"Come on, Alex. This is fun!" Liam exclaimed, pushing off again. Alex sighed and looked up at his boyfriend.

"You're drunk. I mean, I'm drunk, but you're like really, really drunk," he said, watching the carefree expression on his boyfriend's face.

"I promise I'd wait on you hand and foot, didn't I?" Liam reminded him. Alex smiled, remembering the full body massage Liam had given him earlier that day.

"Oh, it gets better?" He asked suggestively, completely forgetting his current position in the wheelchair.

"Oh yes, much better. Why, we haven't even had dessert yet," Liam exclaimed, stopping the wheelchair and leaning over the back.

"And what do we have for dessert?" Alex asked, leaning back and trying to capture his boyfriend's lips, but Liam pulled back slightly just out of Alex's reach. Alex pouted, but Liam just gave him a teasing smile.

"You'll just have to wait and see!" Liam told him in a sing-song voice. Alex folded his arms again, and sighed.

"Well, if you insist on pushing me in this thing, let's get home now!" Alex commanded, gesturing back to the medical dorms. Liam smiled and pushed off the ground once more.

"GAY LOVERS, AWAY!" He called out into the night.

* * *

**The following three scenes and Lemons. We got carried away. Enjoy! Or skip, either way!**

* * *

A small sigh of content escaped her lips as she walked out of the bathroom drying her hair off. She put on one of Jim's old shirts from Iowa and a pair of shorts, though it was pretty warm in the room so she could've gotten away with a tank-top. She glanced over at the calendar on the wall and stopped in her tracks. With all that happened, and all that was going on, she completely missed the fact that tomorrow would be her birthday. Tomorrow was her twenty-fourth birthday and she would be exactly three months pregnant. Somehow, this isn't where she expected to be a year ago.

"Wow… so much has changed…" she whispered softly. She heard a small bark of agreement and looked over to her faithful pet, who just got out of the vet. After some stitches and some doggy penicillin, he was deemed fit enough to go home. She leaned down and scratched behind his ears before she watched him walk over to his dog house. Claire threw her towel into the laundry basket and sat on the bed. She reached up and began to lightly massage her shoulder, which was bugging her a bit, when the door opened and her boyfriend walked in, carrying a small bouquet of roses.

"Hey, you're still awake," he said, walking over and sitting next to her.

"Yeah, are those for me?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No, Spock gave them to me. We're going to run off together and start a family," Jim jested. She laughed and shook her head.

"I should've known, ever since I found the two of you in bed together," she said. He flinched but handed her the roses.

"Happy birthday, and anniversary." She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Anniversary?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yup, tomorrow… well technically today, will be exactly one year since we got together." She looked back down at roses and smiled.

"They are beautiful, I can't believe you remembered." Jim gave her a half-hearted smile.

"I had it programmed in my planner to go off, I did forget until the little thing popped up," he confessed. She chuckled and kissed him deeply before breaking away and putting the flowers in a vase next to the bed.

"Thank you, I appreciate the gesture," she told him, sitting back down on the bed. Jim nodded and kissed her quickly.

"Of course…" Claire smiled and laid back on the bed, giving her back a rest. Jim moved so he was lying on his side and looking down at her.

"Did you know what today also is?" she asked, he took her hand and shook his head.

"No, what is today?" he asked.

"Today is the day I am exactly three months pregnant," she confessed. He furrowed his eyebrows and smiled.

"You know when you got pregnant?" he asked. She nodded and turned bright red.

"Iowa, that night by the lake," she confessed. He laughed and leaned down to kiss her deeply before moving down and lifting her shirt so he could see her stomach. He placed a light kiss on her stomach before looking up at her.

"I can let my head rest on your stomach, right? I won't hurt it?" he asked. She laughed and shook her head.

"No, you should be fine… unless your head weighs a ton." He chuckled and let his ear press against her stomach. He didn't hear anything unusual, just the sound of her digestive system, which wasn't all that appealing. After a few minutes he raised his head and kissed her stomach again before moving up and placing another deep kiss on her lips, which she eagerly replied to. Her hands reached up to tangle in his hair and pull him closer to her. He moved so more of his body was on top of hers, but made sure his hips were off of her, so he didn't rest on her stomach. His tongue traced her bottom lip and she parted them to let him explore her mouth. He did so while one of his hands traced down her body, stopping a moment at her breasts then traveling down to her hips. Claire moved so she was completely under him and draped a leg over his thigh, causing him to stop and pull away.

"Wait…" he said, trying to catch his breath. Claire looked up at him confused.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked.

"Can we… I mean, is it alright for us to… you're pregnant and the um… baby is in there so… can we still like, you know…" Claire began to laugh lightly and nodded, placing a hand on his cheek.

"Yes Jim, we can have sex even though I am pregnant. In fact, most doctors encourage sexual activity, especially near the end of the pregnancy." Jim pressed his lips together.

"So we can still have sex, even though you are pregnant," he clarified.

"Yes, we can." He smiled and moved so he was more on top of her.

"Thank God." he leaned down and captured her lips with his and let the hand that wasn't holding himself up travel up her shirt causing her to shiver in pleasure. His tongue began to gently massage her own, causing her to groan. His rough hand gently cupped her breast and gave a light squeeze under her shirt, making her arch her back and press into his hand. Soon she was lifting her shirt off of her head and she sat up, helping her boyfriend with his own. As soon as their shirts were on the floor, he brought her lips back to his and pulled her onto his lap. She immediately let her hands tangle into his hair and rocked her hips lightly in his lap.

Jim moaned at the motion and lowered his lips to her throat, nibbling on a sensitive part of her neck before biting down a little harder. She moaned and lifted his head to hers so she could kiss him. Jim lowered his hands to her shorts and hooked his finger on the band, pulling them down a little to let her know he was ready to move on. She chuckled and stood up to take her shorts and panties off. Jim used the opportunity to kiss the most sensitive part of her body, causing her to gasp and let out a small moan. His tongue began to light caress her center and she gave out a slightly louder moan of pleasure.

"Jim," she groaned. He smirked and lightly moved her backwards so he could unbuckle his pants. She immediately dropped down and placed her lips on his chest to lick his sensitive nipples. Her hands reached around his back and lightly scrapped his back, causing him to groan and place his hands on her arm.

"Claire, I can't take my pants off with you distracting me," he told her. She smirked and lowered her hands to his pants and slowly unzipped the zipper. She leaned forward and placed her lips under his ear and gave a small nibble before moving to his earlobe.

"Let me help you with that, babe," she whispered. She lightly bit his earlobe before her hands reached into his pants and brushed over his manhood a couple of times. He groaned through his teeth and grabbed the comforter on the bed. It took all of his strength to not just rip his pants off and take her immediately. Eventually his pants and underwear joined the floor with the rest of their clothes, and Claire used her hand to lightly tease her boyfriend's manhood, causing him to stand at attention. Jim pulled her hand away and moved her so she was in his lap and hovering right above him. He moved up and gave her a slow and sensual kiss, while lowering her onto him. Claire moaned at the feeling of him entering her and broke away from his lips to kiss his neck. He pulled her away from his neck and began to move her so she was rocking in his lap. She got the message immediately and began to move up and down.

"Claire," he groaned, burying his face in her chest. She placed her hands on his shoulders and arched her back, trying to find her sweet spot. Jim simply let his tongue trace over her breast as his hands rested on her hips, helping her find a pace that worked for both of them. Sweat rolled off their bodies as the pace sped up, and Claire felt the pressure building in her stomach as Jim's tongue flicked her sensitive nipple.

"Jim," she hissed. Jim suddenly moved forward and placed her on her back before pulling out and hitting her sweet spot. She gave a loud moan and clawed at his back, causing him to let out a small hiss. He continued to move within her and she moved to meet his pace. He leaned down and pressed his lips against her jaw before nuzzling his face in her neck. He hit her sweet spot once more before the pressure in her lower half exploded and spread through her body, causing her to let out a small scream of pleasure. Jim felt himself close but held off. He slowed his pace down so Claire could come down from her orgasm and began to speed up once more.

"Oh… oh God!" she gasped. Everything was overly sensitive and she felt her hips move more eagerly to meet his thrusts. His hands brushed over her boobs and she cried out. Claire tangled her fingers into his hair and pulled his head down to kiss him deeply. He responded to the kiss and filled her to the brim. The sensation was enough to bring her to a brink for a second time, and give Jim his relief. He moan loudly and gave a few more thrusts into her slightly shaking body before he felt himself spent and fell on top of her. Claire began to take large gulps of air as she felt him kiss her neck and give a small moan. She ran her fingers through his hair until he moved so he was laying next to her. She turned and he pulled her to him, letting his naked body press against hers. He lightly brushed a couple strands of hair out of her face, though had a little trouble since they stuck to her forehead from the sweat. He gently kissed her forehead and smiled.

"I love you," he whispered. She smiled and looked up at him.

"I love you too." He smiled and traced his fingers over her cheek.

"I know this sounds horrible, but I'm glad you turned down the Ivory…" she sighed and buried her face in his sweaty neck.

"You knew about that?" she asked. He nodded and ran a hand over her head.

"Yeah, I knew." She looked back up at him and placed a hand on his cheek.

"You know, as weird as it sounds, I'm glad I turned it down too. Not all of it was because of you, but a good portion of it was. In the end, I'm glad I decided to stay." He nodded and placed his hand over top of hers.

"I'm glad you decided to stay too. I've already lived with you gone, and life just isn't the same. You've really changed me, and I can't say I'm completely upset with the change. I don't want you to leave, and I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you with me." He leaned down and pressed his lips onto hers and pulled her closer. Claire smiled and broke away from the kiss.

"I'm not going to leave you… I promise," she told him.

"I'll hold you to that promise."

* * *

Alex practically jumped out of the wheelchair that he had been confined to all day as soon as he passed through the doorway to the room he shared with Liam. Liam shoved the wheelchair to the side of the room and smiled.

"Well, I suppose that's the end of that then," he said, gesturing to the hunk of metal taking up space in their small room. Alex smiled as he began yanking his black polo shirt over his head. The entire way home, Liam had tortured him with the words of things he'd do once they got home. Now that they were home, he could barely wait another minute.

"Woah cowboy, slow down a bit," Liam said, chuckling as Alex struggled to pull his black boots off.

"If by cowboy you mean the Brokeback Mountain kind, the yes. And you're a bit too overdressed there for my liking," Alex said, chucking his boots across the room. Liam gave his lover a smirk as he crossed the room, making sure to give his lover a show as he slowly undid the buttons on his light blue dress shirt.

"Hmmm, you're right. I don't know, Alex, I'm kind of tired," Liam teased, allowing his shirt to fall open as he fake a yawn. He brought his hand up to his mouth to stifle the yawn, watching as Alex sent him a glare.

"You're going to get me all worked up and tell me you'd rather sleep than fuck my brains out?" He snapped, his eyes practically raping Liam. His pale chest was in Alex's view and he licked his lips, trying to resist the urge to launch himself at the smaller man. Liam smiled and allowed his shirt to slide down his shoulders and land in a ball on the floor.

"Now what kind of boyfriend would I be if I denied you sex?" Liam asked, kicking his shoes off without much effort. Alex fumbled with his belt as Liam leaned up and captured his lover's lips, causing Alex to stop what he was doing and reach around his lover's waist. His fingertips slid across the soft tender flesh of Liam's back, causing him to sigh into their kiss. The smell of Liam's feminine body wash wafted through Alex's nose, unconsciously causing him to smile into the kiss.

"Why are you smiling?" Liam asked, pulling away breathless. Alex nuzzled his lover's neck, loving how soft Liam's skin felt against his cheek. He tenderly kissed down along the man's neck to his collarbone, knowing that it drove Liam absolutely crazy. Liam felt his knees become buckle under his weight, forcing Alex to scoop him up and carry him to the bed, his lips never leaving his neck. Liam try to focus his hands on removing Alex's belt, keeping him from his goal like the ribbon on top of a present. Alex noticed Liam's mission and moved up to his lips while moving his hands to help release him from the confides of the belt. Finally, the belt jingled and Alex was freed, allowing Liam better access to his button and zipper.

"Not wasting anytime now, are we?" Alex asked with a smirk as he pulled away. Liam smiled back.

"When I want you, I get you," he stated before leaning forward to recapture Alex's lips in a controlling manner that Alex only got to see in the bedroom. Alex gently pushed Liam onto his back while taking control of the kiss. He opened his mouth wider as he slid his tongue into Liam's mouth, exploring the familiar territory. Alex allowed his hands to move down to the waistband of Liam's jeans, quickly undoing the button and unzipping the zipper. His knuckles brushed against the growing bulge in his lover's jeans, causing Liam's hips to roll forward of their own accord. The two men moaned into their kiss, their hardening members brushing against each other through the constricting denim.

Desperately, Liam's hands shot out and grabbed the edge of Alex's jeans and boxers, pulling them down in one fluid motion over his budging cock. Wasting no time, Liam's hand wrapped itself around Alex's pulsating member and began pump along the throbbing erection.

"Oh fuck," Alex hissed, pulling out of the kiss and arching his back at the touch. Liam smirked, watching his lover practically panting out his name.

"That's what we'll be doing pretty soon," Liam whispered in his ear, never stopping his movements. Alex bit his lip, thrusting his hips against Liam's busy hand. The coils of heat in his belly began to tighten and rage even higher, until it seemed that they had all , but consumed Alex. Feeling Alex's orgasm near, Liam leaned forward and licked his way down from Alex's neck to his harden nipples. Alex's hips continued to slam into Liam's fisted hand just as every muscle in his body stiffened, his abdomen clenching painfully. He felt himself overcome with pure bliss as hot liquid began squirting out all over Liam's jeans and stomach. Liam pulled his hand away and slowly licked the sticky white substance off.

"You know, I didn't really like those jeans anyway," he said with a teasing smile. Alex's breathing was hard, but he returned the smile.

"Now it's your turn," he said, reaching for Liam's jeans. Liam smiled as he leaned back, allowing him to remove the binding jeans from his own slowly growing erection.

"You never did answer my question," he said, trying to hold back a gasp as Alex slowly pulled down his jeans. Liam lay before him in nothing, but navy briefs, his erection painfully obvious.

"Do you even remember what it was?" Alex asked, gently rubbing his hand over the thin fabric. Liam didn't even try to suppress the moan that left his lips, enjoying the feeling of his lover's hand. Alex could already feel himself getting hard just at the sight. The strong smell of sex was almost overpowering. Liam felt finger's slip into the waistband of his briefs and pull them down over his member at a painfully slow rate. He gasped as the cold air of the room hit him, but it passed as soon as he felt Alex's hard member against his own.

"What were we talking about?" Liam asked through half lidded eyes. Alex just smiled.

"No more talk," he said seductively into his lover's ear.

* * *

Ryan wanted nothing more than to smash down the front door to his room. He was still surprised that he and Anna had managed to make it up to their room, rarely breaking their kisses. It took only five seconds for the door to slide open, but it was six seconds too long in Ryan's opinion as he stumbled into the room with Anna grabbing a fistful of his brown leather jacket.

"You need something," he teased, bringing his hand up to cup her face. She looked up to see a needy passion blazing in his lustful grey eyes. She released his jacket and gave him a sly smile.

"Nothing that you aren't willing to give," she cooed back, grabbing his collar and pulling him down a bit so she could recapture his lips. She moaned when his tongue darted out, gently begging for entrance. She obliged, allowing him to lead her over to the bed and take control. Ryan let his hands travel down and raise her skirt a bit, letting the cool air kiss her bare thighs. Her own hands pushed away his jacket and let it fall to the floor before grabbing onto his dress shirt and pealing it off.

Ryan's hands moved to the back of her dress and quickly unzipped the zipper, causing her to break away to let it slide off her body. She quickly moved back closer to him and let her hands fall to his pants while he kicked his shoes and struggled with getting his socks off. Eventually his pants fell to the floor and he pushed her onto the bed.

"Wait, I need to get my heels off," she said, reaching down. Ryan reached down as well and stopped her.

"Keep them on, those heels are sexy on you," he whispered. She rolled her eyes and reached up to tangle her fingers in his hair as he leaned down and pressed his lips onto her neck and slowly trailed down to the top of her breasts before practically ripping the bra off. She chuckled and reached down to pull his boxers off of him, smiling at her boyfriends readiness. His own hands reached down and pulled her underwear down off her and past her heels. She arched her hips and he chuckled.

"In a rush?" he asked, his hands gently massaging her breasts. She moans and playfully glared at him.

"Just awaiting the captain to take command," she replied. His eyes suddenly turned dark and he leaned down to capture her lips once more. His hands traveled down to her hips and gently lifted them so he could place himself at her entrance. He gave her one last deep kiss before entering her, letting a moan escape both their lips. He rested inside her for a moment before moving slowly, finding a pace suitable for both of them. Anna groaned in satisfaction and ran her hands through his hair, pulling him down to capture his lips before leaning over and nibbling on his earlobe. His own lips traveled down and rested on her collar bone, leaving a small mark before pulling away. He gave a small growl when he felt her heels dig into his back and began to thrust faster. Their chests began to heave as both tried to catch their breath.

"Ryan… I'm close… I'm so close," she moaned. Ryan picked up the pace and began to kiss her breasts, finding a sweet spot and sending her over the edge.

"Anna…" he moaned, coming to the edge and releasing. Anna screamed and arched her back upon feeling him come inside her and rode out her orgasm. After a few minutes Ryan pulled out of her and rolled to the side. Anna began to try and catch her breath and moved so she was closer to him.

"I love you," she whispered. He smiled and kissed her sweaty forehead.

"I love you too."

* * *

"Are we ready?" Ryan looked up at his beautiful wife-to-be and couldn't help, but smile. Everything in his life was right where it should be. His best friend was his chief engineer. His wife was his chief security officer. And his sister was happy with a man he trusted. A man whom he not only trusted with his own life, but the life of his sister as well. The world was right again.

"I've never been more ready in my life," he replied, snaking an arm around her shoulders and kissing her forehead. Yes, the life of Ryan Tyler Conaway was almost perfect. Anna's deep brown eyes twinkled as the thought of their new advantage gleamed in their horizon.

"Well good because here comes Jim and your sister," she said, gesturing to the two figures in the distance. Their hands were intertwined and smiles reflected that of a perfectly content couple in love. Behind them stood another young couple blissfully in love, their eyes sparkling with their newfound views on love and life.

"You think you're going to leave without a proper good-bye?" Claire asked with a smile, approaching her older brother. Ryan released Anna, but not before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, and turned to his sister.

"I never was a the sneaky one, I suppose," he mused, returning his sister's shit-eating grin.

"It's kind of hard to sneak away with a spaceship, Ryan. You of all people should know that," Jim said, gesturing to his brand new ship. The space ship towered above everything in the hanger bay, just having been passed by inspection. The bright red words reflected down at the Starfleet officers, reading the _U.S.S. Ivory_.

"Well, I figured it wouldn't hurt to try," he said, shrugging. Claire slapped him on the shoulder, chuckling at her brother's said attempt for a joke.

"Now are you going to give us a real good-bye or am I going to have to send Oliver into the engine room and keep you here longer?" She asked.

"Please don't do that. I don't want my first five minute on my ship spent helping to fix it," he said. Claire smiled and let go of her boyfriends hand. She walked up to Anna and pulled her into a hug.

"Call me when you've set a date and a place," she said. Anna pulled away and smiled.

"Call us when the baby is born, I can't wait to see what it is." Claire chuckled and shrugged.

"We're banking on a boy, but we'll have to see." Anna chuckled and smiled.

"Good luck," she said. Claire nodded.

"You too." Claire pulled away and Liam walked up to Anna and hugged her.

"Anna, don't loose touch! I'm going to miss you!" Anna chuckled and hugged Alex, who just finished giving a man hug to Ryan.

"Take care, alright. Make sure Ryan doesn't go crazy, alright?" he asked. She chuckled.

"I'll try, be careful alright." he nodded and moved back with Liam. Jim gave her a small nod and shook hands with Ryan.

"Good luck," Jim said.

"You too, take care of my sister. You don't and I will hunt you down," Ryan told him.

"I'll keep that in mind." Jim moved back and Claire moved in front of her brother.

"Hey, I'll see you on the ship," Anna said. Ryan nodded and watched as Liam and Alex disappeared. Jim placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll see you later, okay?" he asked. She nodded and kissed his cheek. Soon he left, leaving the siblings alone.

"You going to be alright?" he asked. She chuckled and shrugged.

"As alright as I can be. I'm going to miss you." He sighed and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm going to miss you too. I want you to be careful, alright?" she nodded and kissed his cheek.

"You too. Please don't so something stupid, and please don't get married without me being there to see it." he nodded.

"Alright, let me know how everything goes with the baby. Make sure Jim takes care of you… I will break his nose if I need to," he told her. She chuckled and pulled out of his hug.

"I doubt you'll need to. Jim's a good guy, deep down," she said as Ryan slowly began walking towards the door to his ship. Claire followed, their pace slow. Neither wanted the moment to end.

"Like really deep down, obviously. But the guy has proven himself," he countered, but chuckled. Claire stopped and turned to look at her brother. Grey clashed with grey as she looked into her eyes, a sad nostalgic smile on her face.

"You've come along away from that overprotective brother who left on the _Berlin_," she said, taking a chance to really look at her brother. He'd grow barely an inch, but instead of the geeky techno dork she used to know, he really looked like a man. The muscles he'd gained made him look older, more mature, and wiser. She knew it was, but sometimes it was just so hard to believe.

"And you've come along away from the disorganized sister who didn't know what she wanted out of life before you left on the _Enterprise_," he replied, glancing down at his sister. The bump on her stomach had grown slightly and it was much more obvious that she was pregnant. She hadn't grown an inch, but she wasn't the same little girl following her brother into Starfleet anymore. She was a woman now. And Ryan couldn't have been more proud of her.

"I guess we've both changed," she said, as Ryan pulled her into another hug.

"We need to get this over with sooner or later," he reminded her. Claire felt tears stinging her eyes, begging to fall, but she pushed them back. Ryan held her close as she buried her face in his chest.

"I don't want to say good-bye," she sobbed, still trying to hold back the tears that began to fall. Ryan felt his own tears began to run down his face, but refused to admit it.

"It's not really a good-bye. It's more like a 'see you soon' kind of thing," she told her, trying to soothe her and ease the moment.

"Is it wrong that I kind of wish you were still on the _Enterprise_?" She asked.

"Is it wrong that I kind of need to get going soon? The _Ivory_ needs it's captain, you know," he said jokingly.

"We can get Jim to do it. Nothing would be a bigger ego booster than having control over two ships," she said. He laughed and pulled back, watching as she wiped the tears off her face.

"Yes well, let's avoid that. The last thing we need is him to get a bigger ego." she nodded and took a deep breath.

"Please be careful, okay?" he nodded and placed a hand on her cheek.

"You too. I love you," he said, kissing her forehead. She pulled him into one last hug before pulling away.

"I love you too. Now go, I think you're girlfriend is waiting for you," she said. He nodded and sighed.

"I'll see you soon." she nodded.

"I'll see you soon." Ryan sighed and after a slow minute, he finally walked onto the shuttle. He immediately sat down next to Anna and sighed. She smiled and placed a hand on his.

"It'll be alright. You'll see her soon." he nodded and smiled at her.

"I know, I just… I'm just going to look forward to what's going on. I'm the captain of a ship, and I'm about to get married. I'm just going to keep being happy." she smiled and kissed him deeply.

"Well let's go then, captain."

Claire took a deep breath as she saw her brothers shuttle leave and crossed her arms. This time, he was leaving to command his own ship, to start on his own. She too, was starting on her own, but deep down, she didn't feel the same. She felt arms wrap around her waist and she turned her head to see her boyfriend rest his chin on her shoulder.

"You alright?" he asked. She gave a small smile and nodded.

"Yeah, I will be. I just… have to get used to this again." Jim nodded and pressed a kiss on her temple.

"It'll be okay. Things are different this time. We're different this time. If your lonely I'm going to be here with you." she nodded and kissed his jaw.

"I know, I know. I'll be fine. I have you, I have the baby, I have my friends. We'll make it," she said. He nodded and kissed her lips lightly.

"That we will."

_

* * *

_

On to the reviews? I think so.

_**Allimba  
**__**Raxsah: **__I can't wait either… wait… yes I can. Hope you enjoyed it. Just wait for the Epilogue.  
__**Jeck: **__Well here it is! I hope you enjoyed it! :D_

_**amberhathaway  
**__**Jeck: **__Well, we're like two halves of a greater evil whole. What do you expect from Jeck and Raxsah Inc? Well now you know… the whole world knows our of evil! MAWHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :D  
__**Raxsah: **__I'm not evil! I just go along with Jeck sometimes… she has good ideas that appeal to my rebel side. I can't help it._

_**Lintered  
**__**Raxsah: **__I believe Jeck came up with that. I think it was a couple thing at the time. Like "Oh look, they do EVERYTHING together." Maybe? Idk… Only one major chapter left, the rest is an epilogue. It's over. So sad. D:  
__**Jeck: **__Honestly, I don't remember who wrote that part. Was it me? I might have been me… it might have been Raxsah too. Ugh, I don't remember. We wrote it forever ago. lol This is the last chapter of the actual story and then the epilogue is split up into two parts. Please our side story. And our new story. So I'm pretty sure you'll get sick of us soon. ENJOY IT! :D_

_**SWfangirl21  
**__**Jeck: **__Because I like to beat my puppies before I hug them! :D I wouldn't hug Riley… he might pull a knife on me or anything. Griffin was that in between evil guy who still had a tiny bit of good in him… where as Riley just lost it and there was no going back. But I have officially decided that we can just send all of our characters to you for therapy. You can provide them with hugs and cupcakes and smack downs! :D Nuhir pretty much a creepy rapist all in all. That reminds me… I really want to see the new Nightmare on Elm Street. Yeah, well Claire is the main character. It's kind of the point for her to have all these struggles so she can grow and people love her and blah, blah, blah. Lol In the beginning, we were pretty tough on Ryan. And now, poor Claire has to go through all the suffering. We're horrible people. ISN'T IT GREAT? Yeah, we did go to see the new Harry Potter movie. IT WAS FUCKING AMAZING! :D The ticket line was fine, but the line just to get into the theater was CRAZY! And Raxsah and I talked through a fair bit of the movie. The way you explained it, I realize that Liam and Alex getting back together was a bit cliché… but I like it anyway. They can live happily ever after! Harry needs gay buttsecks. He's a closeted homo. Other then the bad guys, we were done killing off the good characters. Almost killing Anna was bad enough, I think. Especially after leaving a cliffhanger like that. We had to rewrite that part with Oliver and Rupert riding in on Rocky part a few times. At first they rode in and saved the day. Then we decided we didn't want the day saved yet. Well, I hope you enjoy Resident Evil then! :D CONGRATULATIONS ON OUR NIECE! Happy days! :D ZOMBIE PUDDING SEX FACE! :D  
__**Raxsah: **__He's A jerk, I know. He's a Jerk, I know. Hahahahaaa, I hate that song. Seriously though, Riley sucks ass. I'd rather not give him a hug, he might try and poison me with all the shit we've put you through. I think Griffin is a confusing person in general… maybe we should give him a lollypop. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? I'm glad you think Nuhir is a Creeper, I think so too. I'm glad I made Claire kill his ass, fucker… I think Claire was scared, but she was more determined to get out of there alive than to just curl up in a ball, especially with the baby and all that. Congratulations on the niece! When my cousin had her daughter we thought she was the cutest thing ever! Enjoy her as a baby while you can. Pretty soon they grow up into four year olds and tell you that you're playing tea party wrong. O.o I think a Harry Potter marathon is just what Jim needs… that and some hugs. I'll hug Jim. Claire's busy. And the Harry Potter movie was AMAZING! I cannot wait for the next one. Yay Alex and Liam! You didn't think we'd keep them separated, did you? It was a little cliché, but it worked for them. Harry doesn't deserve a cupcake, I'll take it though. We promised ourselves that we weren't going to kill anyone good off. It was very difficult, let me tell you. Rupert and Oliver was all Jeck, you can thank her for that. We'll be posting your story as well today, and maybe even post our new story, though it is a new category. Again, congrats on the niece, and thank you for supporting us through all of this. We truly appreciate it. :D (Hugs)_

_**Jeck: **__I would like to point out that Raxsah's form of hugging Jim would be Chris Pine sticking it in her. Just saying.  
__**Raxsah: **__Ugh… we're not even going there. Meanie. Embarrassing me in front of Fan Fiction. X( So what if it's true… blah!  
__**Jeck: **__They were bound to find out about your secret Chris Pine crush sooner or later. I just put the sooner in the sooner or later though. Besides, as a lesbian, I'd do him too. It's okay. We can start Chris Pine rehab. It'll probably turn into a fan club though…  
__**Raxsah: **__Probably. I'll just have to focus my attention on other hot guys. It will be difficult, but I shall manage somehow!  
__**Jeck: **__You can focus on me *raises eyebrows suggestively*. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__Hmmm… That would be awkward… Hahahahaaaaa. That's like… sex with my sister. ANYWAY, enough about incest. We hope you enjoyed the story, even though this isn't REALLY the end, but… it Kinda is.  
__**Jeck: **__Well, it's the official end. There's not really a lot of drama and plot past this point. Just happily ever after and all that jazz.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes. So thank you again for everyone who has stuck with us to this point. Your support has been amazing.  
__**Jeck: **__And we hope to see you in the future. With our side stories, our future stories, and those days when you need a good story and go back and reread it. BTW- Still got some contests going on.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yup, The most reviewed gets a multi chaptered story, while anyone who can correctly name the most songs gets a two chapter story. And everyone is included in the second one. Chapter 3 doesn't count, because it's not a song title, however if you get it, You might get a special treat.  
__**Jeck**__: And Raxsah will love you forever. Or not, since I've already taken that spot. :D  
__**Raxsah: **__This is truth. Well… I guess that's all. Until next time my lovelies.  
__**Jeck: **__ZOMBIE SEX PUDDING CUP ORGASM FACE GOODNESS! :D_


	28. Epilogue Part 1: You Make My Dreams

_**Jeck:** I'MA FIRING MAH LAZER!_  
_**Raxsah:** Oh, thank you little brother for putting that on. I really appreciate it. Yay for QUEEN!_  
_**Jeck: **FAT BOTTOM GIRLS YOU MAKE THE ROCKIN' WORLD GO ROUND! Anyway, we're a bit early this week. I head back to school this Sunday, so we won't be able to update. Sadly… D:_  
_**Raxsah:** Besides, this is the epilogue. We wanted to treat you guys! Only one more chance to review before we do the final review thingy. Yes, we're that bored._  
_**Jeck:** But I know you guys. You might know you, but I know you. I also know that you want more of Jeck and Raxsah. You want a side story. DON'T LIE!_  
_**Raxsah:** I like our other story, it's pretty kick ass if I don't say so myself. But yes, check out our side stories, they are mad awesome. And with your help, we can have even more! Don't be shy, Review! We likes them!_  
_**Jeck:** YES! REVIEWS! WE LIKES THEM! And Mudkips! :D AND ZOMBIES! And sex… and pussy… and pudding!_  
_**Raxsah:** Um… well, Jeck likes Pussy, I happen to be a fan of the Penis, and all of it's characteristics. Well, except the fact they get your preggers. That kinda sucks._  
_**Jeck:** Apparently she has my finger babies too. Go figure. Anyway, we present to you the first part of the epilogue early._  
_**Raxsah:** It almost makes me sad. Though, I must admit, I had a hell of a time writing it. Almost as much as writing the actual story… almost. Hahahahahaaaa._  
_**Jeck:** Not as much randomness with switching bodies and macking on your sibling and your dog turning human… just tying up loose ends, mainly. Anyway, enjoy as always!_

* * *

**Epilogue Part 1: You Make My Dreams**

* * *

"I CAN'T FUCKING BELIEVE HIM!" Claire cried out, stomping into sickbay. Liam looked up from his experiment. A few weeks ago, McCoy had given him the okay to start work on producing a new type of hypo-spray that would repair any internal organ. And so, Liam had been excited to start right away and use all his free time.

"What did Jim do now?" Liam asked with an exasperated sigh. Claire dropped herself on a chair next to him.

"Ryan is currently on a planet nearby here and all I wanted to do was go visit my brother. It's been three months since I've seen him face to face," she said, practically screaming. Liam grabbed the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Claire, we're on a specific five year mission here. We can't just stop at some random planet, even if it is to visit your brother. I hate to say it, but I agree with Jim," Liam told her, which seemed to do nothing, but infuriate her more.

"What's going on here?" Alex asked, readjusting the glasses that sat comfortably on his face. Claire looked up with a feral look on her face.

"Claire's slowly losing it," Liam stated, turning back to his work. Alex sighed.

"The parasite is just draining all common sense out of her," he said, handing Liam a few papers before walking out again. McCoy kept them busy.

"I'm not loosing my common sense! I just want to see my brother!" Liam sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Claire, just breathe, this is your hormones taking over. You're just looking for your brother for some comfort, since you're not getting any comfort from Jim… wait… are you?" he asked. Claire sighed and shrugged, placing a hand on her swollen stomach. If anyone had a doubt she was pregnant before, it was no question now.

"He has. He's been trying, but we've been arguing a lot. I mean, with him being captain and all, it's been difficult at times. He's busy, I get that, but I'm busy too." Liam nodded and rubbed her shoulder.

"I'm telling you Claire, it's just the hormones, once you have the baby things will get better. Eventually," he told her. Claire just ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

"I know, I know… it still sucks." he nodded and sat down next to her.

"So, did you pick names yet?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No, we were hoping that we could find out the sex of the baby, but it wasn't in a position where we could tell. We keep arguing over names we want to give it."

"Happens to all couples. Don't worry, it's just two more months, then you'll be too focused on the joy of having a child to argue." Claire raised an eyebrow and rolled her eyes.

"If that's what you wanna call it."

* * *

Clare gave a frustrated sigh and turned away from her boyfriend, who was at his wits end as well. She ran a hand through her hair and took a deep breath. This would be over soon, in a couple hours they would make up and apologize for fighting. It had been like this the past six weeks, and if the baby didn't come out soon, it was just going to get worse.

"Claire, I don't see what the big deal is," Jim confessed.

"The big deal? He's my brother, I want my brother to be the Godfather of my child!" she snapped.

"Okay, but you already said Anna was the Godmother, don't I get a say in this? It's my kid too!" Claire turned back toward him and sent him a nasty glare.

"Are you carrying an eight pound human being inside of you? I didn't think so!" Jim rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"Okay, but I'm here helping you through this. I think that constitutes the right for me to say that Spock should be the Godfather of my kid." Claire threw her hands up and shook her head.

"Ugh, you don't get it do you? You don't have to carry this kid for over nine months, it should have been out of there two weeks ago." Jim sighed.

"Claire…"

"Don't Claire me! I'm the mother of this child, and I'll pick it's name, and I'll pick it's God Parents!" Jim finally gave a frustrated groan and just glared at her.

"You know what, you were so much more of a joy to be around before you got pregnant!" he snapped, no longer able to keep his temper in check.

"And who's fault is that you Jack- Oh!" Claire stopped and held her stomach, her eyes growing wide. Jim also stopped and looked at her.

"Claire… what's wrong?" he asked. She looked up at him, her grey eyes meeting his panicked blue.

"My water just broke." Jim looked down then looked back up at her.

"Oh shit…"

* * *

"LIAM! ALEX! BONES!" Jim cried out as he helped Claire into sickbay. She was clutching her stomach tightly and he face was scrunched in pain. Jim could barely look at her, the monstrous pain so evident in her face.

"What's going on?" Claire and Jim looked over towards a closest door to see Alex poking his head out, his glasses absent from his face and hair a mess.

"Claire is going into labor!" Jim cried out. Alex's head disappeared and the door closed for a few seconds before reopening. Alex jumped out of the closest wearing nothing, but his socks, his boxers, and a lab coat.

"Is this a bad time?" Claire snapped, noticing the closest door slam shut again. Alex chuckled as he searched his lab coat for his glasses.

"No, it's perfect. Come on, let's get going!" He said, signaling for them to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Jim asked, still supporting Claire walk towards the back of sickbay.

"Since Claire is so late, McCoy had us set up a special room for her for when her water finally did break," Alex explained, opening the door to the last room in the hall. Jim lead Claire in as Liam appeared at the end of the hall.

"Didn't miss anything, did I?" He asked, running up to the room.

"Claire is going into labor," Alex said, gesturing to the woman trying to get up on the bed with Jim's help. Liam handed Alex his glasses and smile.

"Go get your pants and then go get McCoy," Liam said, causing his lover to smile and take off running down the hall, his white lab coat blowing behind him and his boxers painfully tight.

"Does he have a boner?" Jim asked, appearing next to Liam in the hallway.

"Quite possibly, it's best if you don't ask questions," Liam told him.

"I guess… um… where is Bones?" he asked.

"In his office, he was just paged so he should be here soon, how far along are her contractions?" Liam asked. Jim paused before he paled.

"I have no clue… should I ask her?" he asked. Liam rolled his eyes and looked over as Alex walked back in, pants on and no boner visible.

"Alright, so what do we have?" Liam rolled his eyes.

"All we got is the fact that her water broke."

"How far along are the contractions?" Alex asked, looking at Jim.

"I AM RIGHT HERE! COME AND ASK ME YOURSELVES YOU LAZY BASTARDS!" Claire shouted from the room. Alex sighed and pushed the brim of his glasses up.

"Alright, I guess I'll go talk to her," he said. Alex walked into the room and Jim looked at Liam, who was shaking his head.

"She'll go back to normal, right? Well… not normal just, like the old Claire?" he asked. Liam nodded.

"Eventually, don't expect it to happen next week, it's going to be a while. It's just the stress and the hormones. I'd say once the kid is a year old, things should be ten times better," he said. Jim nodded and ran a hand through his hair.

"Man, I hope so. I love her, but this is rough." Liam nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Just hang in there Captain." Before Jim could reply, Bones walked down the hallway and stopped in front of Claire's door.

"So, she's in labor?" he asked.

"I believe so. What do we do now?" Jim asked. Bones looked at his best friend and shrugged.

"We need to know what is going on before we can do anything. Come on, let's see how she's doing." Everyone froze as they entered the room. Alex was on the floor, blood pouring down his face and Claire's arms were folded angrily across her chest.

"What the hell did you do to my boyfriend?" Liam cried out, running to the unconscious form of Alex.

"He asked me how dilated I was, so I punched him," Claire stated happily. McCoy walked into the room and sighed.

"I don't care how pregnant you are, you don't punch fellow doctors!" He snapped. Claire rounded on him.

"Oh really? Well, you when carry a child for over nine months then you can tell me what I can and cannot do!" She screamed. McCoy turned to Jim.

"For the safety of myself and fellow doctors, please go control your girlfriend," he said. Claire glared.

"I am sitting RIGHT HERE, assholes!" Jim turned to McCoy.

"As my best friend, please don't make me do this," he pleaded. He sighed.

"You knocked her up, you suffer," he stated. Jim sighed.

"This is going to be a long day…"

* * *

"Hey Anna, is Ryan there?" Alex asked, holding a bloodied hand towel to his nose. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Nice to see you too. What the hell happened to you?" She asked. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Claire is in labor," he stated. Anna busted out laughing, but gave him a knowing smile.

"I'll go get him now," she said before disappearing. Alex was faced with the U.S.S. Ivory logo for about fifteen seconds before Ryan's face appeared.

"SHE'S IN LABOR?" Ryan shouted as he took Anna's former spot. Alex nodded.

"We're approaching the ninth hour of labor," he explained. Ryan's eyes went wide.

"Why didn't anyone call me sooner?" He asked, clearly offended. Alex sighed.

"I was unconscious, Jim is stuck to Claire's side, and McCoy and Liam are busy," he said, gesturing to his bruised nose. Ryan's excitement flattered when he got a good look at the younger man.

"And what happened to you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your sister happened."

"What do you mean?" Alex rolled his eyes and placed the towel on his nose.

"She got mad and punched me in the nose, because I asked her how dilated she was. Thankfully I took my glasses off for a minute or they would be broken." Ryan shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.

"Wow… I guess the pregnancy is harder on her than we thought," he confessed.

"Yeah, just don't tell her that," he said.

* * *

Claire gave out a loud scream as she grabbed onto Jim's hand and squeezed it as hard as she could. Jim held back the groan of pain as he continued to just let his girlfriend continue to squeeze.

"When the hell is this kid coming out? I can't do this anymore!" Claire cried. Jim nodded and just smoothed back her hair.

"Soon… hopefully," Jim said. At that moment the door opened and McCoy walked in, with Nurse Chapel next to him.

"Alright, I believe you're ready to deliver," he said, grabbing a couple of supplies and gloves. Claire' eyes went wide and she sat up.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm getting the parasite out of you," McCoy told her.

"Alex is my doctor, he's supposed to deliver the baby! He went and got certified for this! Where is he?" she asked. McCoy rolled his eyes and continued to get ready.

"There is a trauma case that came in, and he and Peterson are taking care of it. Now unless you want Giles, Carter or Rogers to do it, be quiet and let me deliver the baby. You want it out right?" Claire gave a frustrated sigh and buried her face in the hands.

"But I don't want you to see my… stuff," she confessed. Jim paled and ran a hand over his face. Truth be told he didn't want anyone to see her stuff, except for him.

"I'm a doctor, not a pervert. I'm not doing this for shit's and giggles, I'm doing this so I can deliver the baby and stop you from being hormonally unstable. Can we begin?" he asked. Claire sighed and pushed a few sweaty strands out of her face.

"Okay… I'm ready," McCoy nodded and set up everything. Claire hesitantly moved her legs apart and tried not to think about the fact that her boss was in-between her legs at the moment.

"Okay, as a doctor I'm sure you know what I'm about to ask," McCoy said, bracing himself between her legs.

"Do you want more meds?" She said sarcastically, just as she had another contraction.

"Push!" He cried out, watching her face scrunch up in pain. Jim's face mirrored her own as she gripped his hand for dear life.

"WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?"

"Claire, I wasn't trying to-"

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! MY PAIN IS YOUR FAULT!"

"Sweetie, I swear that I-"

"ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? HAPPY TO SEE ME SUFFERING?"

"Baby, I would never want that. And you're kind of making me suffer too…"

"YOU THINK YOU'RE SUFFERING? HOW DARE YOU?" Nurse Chapel forced herself not to smile as she watched the bantered between the parents to be.

"Claire, you're not pushing. I need you to push for me," McCoy instructed. Claire turned to face him, gripping Jim's hand even tighter.

"I AM FUCKING PUSHING! ARGH!" She cried out, her head rolling back as McCoy smiled.

"I can see it's head," he said, holding his hands out to deliver the baby. Claire continued to scream as the baby continued to make it's way out.

"Is it a boy?" Jim asked, trying to pry Claire's death grip on his hand off. McCoy shot his best friend a glare.

"Jim, it's still in the womb. Would you give it a chance to come out first?" He snapped. Claire brought her head forward, her eyes practically red.

"GET THIS GOD DAMN PARASITE OUT OF ME!" She gave one last push and Jim actually gave a small cry of pain. Claire gave a loud cry and fell back onto the bed as she tried to regain her breath. A second later the sound of crying filled the room and Claire looked over to see McCoy holding a small baby: her baby.

"It's a girl," McCoy said, wrapping the small infant in a blanket and handing it to Nurse Chapel. Nurse Chapel walked over and placed the baby in Claire's arms, who had tears running down her face.

"Hi baby," she said, a large smile on her face. Jim leaned over and gazed down at the baby girl, who had finally calmed down and just stared up at the two of them.

"Wow…" Jim said, just gazing down at his daughter. Nurse Chapel pulled out a data pad and looked at the two of them.

"Do you two have a name?" she asked. Claire nodded and let her eyes continue to rake over the child in her arms.

"Natalie Rose Kirk," she said. Nurse Chapel looked up and watched as Jim smiled and nodded his head.

"Natalie… it's prefect," he said softly. Another nurse came over and picked up the baby after a reluctant look from Claire.

"I'm just going to clean her up, if you want, Captain Kirk can come with us to make sure she's alright. We know how new mothers can be," the nurse said. Claire paused and took a deep breath.

"You'll bring her back, right?" she asked. The nurse nodded and left the room. Jim looked back at Claire and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"She's beautiful Claire," he whispered. She smiled and continued to let tears fall down her face as Jim wiped them away.

"I didn't mean what I said, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been yelling at you," she said. Jim shook his head and placed another kiss on her forehead.

"It's okay. It was all worth it. Besides, I'm glad to see you're slowly returning back to normal," he said with a smile, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and joining her on the bed.

"Sorry about the hormones. And shouldn't you be going to look after Natalie?" She asked, still recovering from giving birth. Jim nodded.

"I figured you might want some company, but if you'd prefer I'd go with her…" he said. Before Claire could reply, Alex walked through the door.

"Liam just went down to clean her up and he'll bring her up when he's done. Congratulations you two," he said, keeping a nice distance between himself and Claire. After eleven hours in labor, Alex's nose was still slightly bruised, but drastically better.

"I won't punch you again, Alex. I'm so sorry," she said, reaching out for Alex to come join them on the bed. Alex obliged and scooted next to Claire.

"Should I be jealous?" Jim asked, but Claire and Alex just shook their heads.

"I'm happily in love," Alex told them. Claire smiled and looked at Jim.

"Yeah, me too." Jim smiled and looked over as McCoy finished up and began to clean up. He walked over and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Congratulations, Jim." Jim smiled and looked back at Claire, who was now having a conversation with Alex.

"Thanks, Bones." a second later Liam walked in the Natalie in his arms. He cautiously walked over and handed Claire the baby before sitting on the bed as well, causing Jim to raise an eyebrow.

"What is it with everyone trying to fit on one bed?" Jim asked. Claire rolled her eyes and looked down at her baby girl.

"Shut up and look at your daughter," she said. Jim leaned over his girlfriend and smiled upon looking down at the baby. She was small, much smaller than he thought she would be. Her eyes were open wide and looked all over the room, not stopping to rest on a single thing. Claire used her finger to gently caress her dark blonde hair, Jim's dark blonde hair. After a few minutes she looked at Jim, who just continued to looked down at her, a few tears in his eyes.

"You want to hold her?" she asked. He paused before looking at her.

"Like… now?" Claire chuckled.

"Would you rather wait till she's twenty?" she asked. Alex and Liam exchanged glances but didn't say anything.

"Well no… but I thought I should wait till she was… not just born," he said. Claire rolled her eyes and moved the baby so she was right in front of him.

"Come on, hold her. You're sitting up in a bed, you'll be fine," she said. Jim pressed his lips together, but accepted the baby as she placed it in his arms. His eyes just stared down at Natalie as she stared up right back at him. Liam and Alex stood up and silently left the room as Claire rested her head against Jim. He moved his arm so he was pulling her closer but also holding Natalie.

"She's beautiful," Jim said softly. Claire smiled and let her finger trace over her baby's tiny hand.

"She is… she's ours," Claire pointed out. Jim smiled and looked at Claire who looked back at him.

"That's why she's beautiful."

* * *

"Come on Claire, I want to see her!" Ryan pleaded, his face practically aglow on the other side of the computer. Claire smiled and rose from her chair, crossing the room to the bed where Natalie lay.

"Come on, sweetie. Let's go meet Uncle Ryan," she whispered to her daughter, gently picking her up. Natalie scrunched up her face in preparation to cry, but Claire was quick to rub small circles on the infant's back, soothing her.

"Hurry up!" She heard from the computer and quickly returned to her spot.

"You need to be patient. I just can't swing her around. I need to be careful," she scolded Ryan as she brought the baby into her lap.

"So this is Natalie Rose Kirk?" Ryan felt his heart melt as he looked into the piercing grey eyes of his niece.

"Yes, this is my baby girl. Say hi to Uncle Ryan," she said, gently grabbing Natalie's hand and forcing her to wave to Ryan. Ryan waved back, causing the small child to giggle in response.

"No offense, but I'm glad she has the Conaway eyes," Ryan said, wishing he could be there to actually hold her. Claire smiled.

"Yeah, me too. She's got Jim's hair and nose, but she's got your ears. My ears were never that big," she said with a chuckle. Ryan smiled.

"You leave my big ears out of this,." she chuckled and kissed the top of her daughters head.

"Yes well, big ears or not, she seems to be more of a Conaway then a Kirk," she confessed. Ryan chuckled and smiled, a part of him wished he was there to hold his niece, but on the other hand, he just needed to remind himself that he would be able to hold her in a couple of months.

"So, how does being a mom feel?" he asked. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, we're only coming up on month three, and already I miss sleep. We found out the hard way that Natalie is a little daddy's girl," she confessed.

"Oh really?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, she would not go to sleep at night unless Jim held her. However, she would not eat unless I was holding her. She's a very picky child," Claire said, smiling down at her baby.

"Well, she get's that from her mother. That's for sure. I can't believe it took you two months to get on the video call with me," Ryan said. Sure he had gotten regular messages, but they weren't the same. Claire scoffed and began to rock Natalie when she began to get fussy.

"Wait until you have a kid, then you try and keep contact with everyone. We haven't even called Jim's mom yet." Ryan chuckled and shook his head.

"Well, other than the late nights and the fussiness, are you happy?" he asked. Claire nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, surprisingly Jim and I are getting along a lot better, and now that she's starting to get into a routine, it's getting easier. The next step is hitting the gym and getting rid of the baby fat," she said. Ryan laughed.

"You have such a one track mind." She shrugged and sighed, looking down at Natalie who was getting a bit fussier.

"Alright, I think I should go. I'll see you in a couple of months when we come to your wedding," she said. Ryan nodded and smiled.

"Okay, take care, and congratulations. I can't wait to see you," he said. She smiled and nodded.

"I know, love you Ryan!"

"I love you too Claire, Bye Natalie!" Claire forced Natalie to wave before shutting the monitor off and standing up.

"Alright, why don't we get you down for a nap so mommy can take a nap, does that sound good?" she asked. Natalie simply made a few baby noises and looked up at her mom. Claire chuckled and nodded. "I thought so."

* * *

Ryan sighed. It was the big day. They decided to have the wedding on earth so that all of Anna's family would be able to attend. Ryan had tried to call his parents, but the maid continued to tell him that they were 'out'. Obviously, they were just screening the calls to see if their 'good for nothing' son actually wanted them at his wedding. Claire just kept saying 'fuck 'em'.

"You good man?" Rupert asked, watching Ryan slide his tuxedo jacket on.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he sighed, looking at himself in the mirror.

"I just have one thing I need to tell you," Rupert said, stepping besides his best friend. Ryan turned around.

"What's up?" He asked.

"Anna's pregnant. And I'm the father." Ryan froze, his violent urges rising to the surface. However, one look at Rupert's face told him that it was a joke. Still it did nothing to calm the evil urges.

"That's so not funny dude," he snapped, turning back to look at himself in the mirror.

"You're not a woman, Ryan. You don't need to keep looking at yourself," Rupert reminded him, heading for the door.

"I'll see you out there, asshole," Ryan said, a smile on his face. Rupert nodded.

"No cold feet, Mr. Groom. Anna's folks might kill you if you have any second thoughts," he said before leaving the groom alone. Ryan turned back to the mirror and ran a hand through his hair, then fixed it once more. He began to jitter and soon enough, he was pacing the room. He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't even realize the someone had entered the room.

"This here is what Uncle Ryan does when he's nervous. If we wait long enough, we might even get to see him talk to himself," a voice said. Ryan stopped and looked over as he saw his sister standing by the door, a big smile on her face and a baby on her hip.

"Claire!" he exclaimed. He quickly walked over and pulled her into a hug, being careful not to crush the baby. She chuckled and pulled away, looking over her brother.

"You clean up nice Captain… except for that smudge on your shirt," she said. Ryan's eyes went wide and he ran back to the mirror.

"Where?" Claire just began to laugh and walked closer.

"I'm joking, you look perfect." Ryan sighed and turned back to her.

"I'm glad you're here," he said. She nodded and kissed his cheek.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss this for the world," she told him. He smiled and looked at the small baby girl in her arms.

"Is this my niece?" he asked.

"No, Natalie's actually back on the ship. This is just some random baby we found on the way here," she told him. He rolled his eyes and looked down at the five month old child.

"Hi Natalie," he said. Claire smiled and quickly placed her in his arms.

"Here, hold her. I know you have been dying to do so. My arms are killing me anyway," she confessed. Ryan took hold of the girl and clumsily held her for a second. A look of panic came across his face when she scrunched her nose up, as if she were going to cry, but relaxed when Claire began to rub her back.

"Wow, she's really tiny," he muttered.

"She's not that small of a baby, you guys just think she's tiny because you're huge." Ryan chuckled and bounced the baby lightly in his arms, causing her to giggle lightly.

"She's adorable. You should be proud," he said. She nodded and let her fingers caress the soft hair on the top of Natalie's head.

"I am, you should be too. You're finally getting married. She's not pregnant is she?" Claire asked.

"No, but she's off birth control. She's dying to have kids," Ryan said, kissing the top of his niece's head.

"Well, you are too. It's a match made in heaven," she said. Ryan laughed and handed Natalie back to his sister, who gently kissed her nose before resting her in her arms.

"Where is Jim?" he asked.

"Getting a seat… or getting some whiskey. Did you know neither of us has had a drink since before Natalie was born? God, if I didn't have to make sure Natalie was alright I'd get drunk off my ass," Claire mumbled. Ryan shot her a look,

"Claire, such foul language in front of your daughter?" he asked. Claire rolled her eyes.

"Please, she just discovered how to make noise not too long ago, I doubt she's even paying attention. Oh, when you have a kid, make sure when they are old enough to put them in front of a mirror, it is the funniest thing you'll ever see." Ryan shook his head and laughed lightly.

"If you say so." Claire nodded and smiled up at her brother.

"You nervous?" she asked. He nodded.

"Very much so. I haven't been this nervous since they appointed me captain of the _Ivory_," he explained, mimicking Claire's earlier actions and rubbing Natalie's back. She cooed in response, bringing a smile to his face.

"You compare your woman to a ship?" Claire asked, lightly bouncing her baby in her arms. Natalie giggled in response, very much enjoying all the attention she was getting.

"It's just a really huge step, you know?" Claire nodded.

"You might want to hurry up and finishing spazzing about the way you look. You should be getting out there soon," she reminded him. He nodded and turned back to the mirror.

"I think I'm ready," he said, more to himself than to his sister. Claire watched him, wondering how nervous Jim would be before their own wedding. Ryan would probably tell her all about it later.

"Alright, well let's head on out there then!" She declared, pointing towards the door with her free hand. Ryan nodded and they headed into the chapel.

* * *

Ryan reached up to adjust his tie, but was stopped by Rupert smacking his hand away.

"Relax, everything will be fine. Just relax," he said. Ryan nodded and took a deep breath. He spotted his sister sitting in the second row with Jim next to her and smiled. Jim gave a small wave as he fidgeted in his own suit. The minister came out and everyone watched as the flower girl and the maid of honor walked down the aisle. After a moment, the music began to play and everyone stood up as the doors opened and Anna immerged from the entrance. Her princess dress cascaded around her as she walked down the aisle and her eyes locked on Ryan. Ryan simply gazed at the Latina beauty walking toward him. He reached out and gently took her hand in his as they walked toward the priest, who was smiling kindly at them.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, to…" Words began to flow together as his eyes locked with hers. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her now, than to take her as his wife and make love to her immediately. They only had four days for their honey moon, and he intended to use them wisely. Anna, on the other hand, was trying to control the beating of her heart as she gazed into her almost husbands grey eyes. Soon they would take their first kiss as husband and wife, take their first steps as husband and wife, dance their first dance as husband and wife, and begin life together as husband and wife.

"Do you, Ryan Tyler Conaway, take Annalisa Maria Elena Guadalupe Lopez, to be your lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold, to love and cherish, through rich or through poor, through sickness and in health, till death do you part?" Ryan almost jumped at being addressed, but nodded.

"I do," he said. Anna smiled and felt a few tears begin to fall down her cheeks.

"Do you, Annalisa Maria Elena Guadalupe Lopez, take Ryan Tyler Conaway, to be your lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold, to love and cherish, through rich or through poor, through sickness and in health, till death do you part?" Anna smiled and nodded.

"I do." the two of them exchange rings and the priest smiled.

"By the power invested in me, I pronounce you two husband in wife, you may kiss the bride." Ryan smiled and looked at his wife.

"Don't mind if I do," he mumbled before crashing his lips onto hers.

* * *

"Claire! You're here!" Anna said, walking up to her now sister-in-laws table. Claire smiled and placed Natalie in Jim's arms before standing up and hugging her.

"Of course, you look fabulous Anna. How does it feel to be Anna Conaway?" Claire asked.

"Not only Anna Conaway, Annalisa Maria Elena Guadalupe Lopez Conaway," Liam pointed out. Claire raised an eyebrow and shook her head.

"If that isn't a mouth full, I don't know what is. Please don't give your kids six different middle names. It's just too much to write on the Conaway family tree," Claire said. Anna laughed and nodded.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said. Claire smiled and they hugged once more. After a minute Anna pulled away and walked over to Jim.

"Congratulations Anna," he said, smiling up at her.

"Thanks Jim, and congratulations to you. This must be Natalie," she said, smiling down at her now niece.

"Yup, this is the Kirk family's pride and joy, and the Conaway family's shame," Claire said. Jim rolled his eyes, remembering that painful phone call.

"Can I hold her?" Anna asked. Before Claire could answer, Jim shot her a look.

"You aren't going to drop her? Are you?" he asked. Liam looked over at the captain and shot him a nasty look.

"I didn't drop her! She slipped but I caught her! When are you going to let go of it?" Liam asked. Anna raised an eyebrow and looked at Claire, who looked a little annoyed.

"Liam was sitting on the medical bed and went to hold her, but she moved last minute and she almost fell onto the bed, but Alex caught her. Jim's over reacting," Claire said. She reached over and picked up her daughter and placed her in Anna's arms. Anna held onto her securely and smiled at the baby.

"Well, despite the fact that it's a little annoying, it's very cute that he's so worried about her," Anna said. Jim rolled his eyes and stood up.

"I'll be back, I'm going to find Bones," Jim told Claire, giving her a quick kiss on the lips. He then turned to Natalie and placed a loving kiss on the top of her head before leaving. Anna chuckled and turned back to Claire.

"He is too cute. Is he a good father?" Anna asked, bouncing the small baby.

"As good as he can be. He loves her, and is very good with her. He is a little awkward when it comes to a few things. It took him three months to teach him how to change a diaper, he just now got over the gross factor." Anna nodded.

"And what about you and him? Are you two better?" she asked. Claire shrugged and lightly smoothed back Natalie's hair.

"We don't argue as much, usually because we're really tired. We try and spend as much time as Natalie allows, but it get's difficult. Alex and Liam took her for the night, and we were going to try and have a romantic dinner that I planned out. We went back to our place and instead of having sex, we both passed out on the bed." Anna chuckled and handed Natalie back to her mother.

"Well, that'll get better once she's older. Then she can have a bunch of brother's and sisters," Anna said, smiling at the little girl.

"Oh no, no more kids. One pregnancy was enough. I'm eager to get back to the hot sex, but four months with this one convinced me of no more children. This little princess is enough," Claire said, smiling at her daughter.

"Such a shame, you and Jim make such cute kids."

"Oh, we Conaway's don't make no ugly babies, that's for sure," Claire said with a smile.

"No, we Conaway's sure don't." Anna and Claire turned around to see Ryan standing behind them.

"Hey honey," Anna said as Ryan grabbed her waist, pulling her against his body. He leaned down and gave her a passionate kiss. After a few seconds, Claire coughed loudly which separated the two newlyweds.

"Sorry sis," Ryan said, leaning down to hug her as well. He was careful to not hurt the baby and then turned to Natalie.

"You want to hold her?" Claire asked, sticking her hands under her arms in preparation to lift her up. Ryan smiled wide, causing Anna's heart to flutter.

"Of course. Come to Uncle Ryan," he said, smiling down at the baby causing her to coo and giggle. Claire passed the baby to her brother, who lightly bounced her in his arms. Anna watched in awe as Ryan carefully held the infant, the love and wonder burning bright in his eyes. She couldn't wait until they had a child of their own so she could watch him treat their own kid just like his niece.

"Natalie seems to be enjoying all the attention tonight," Anna said, still watching Ryan play with his niece. After the first awkward moment he'd had with her, he realized that he wasn't going to break her and it was okay to move her around as long as he was careful. Claire sat back and smiled.

"Yeah, her momma is definitely enjoying it as well. It gives my arms a break," she said, taking a small sip of her wine.

"Can I get you anything else, ladies?" A black man asked in a Russian accent. He towered above the table wearing a chef's outfit. His mustache was tidy and combed and his green eyes sparkled in the low light of the ballroom they were in. He stood at about six feet and six inches, towering above all others in the room.

"No thank you, Mister…" Claire trailed off, unable to read the nametag on the man's shirt.

"MR. RUFFLES!" Anna and Claire froze while Ryan stopped playing with Natalie and held her close. Oliver approached their table, staring at the black man.

"Yes Oliver?" He asked, smiling at the shorter man.

"No fucking way…" Ryan mumbled, staring at the two men. Anna glared at her new husband, smacking him in the arm.

"Not in front of the baby," she snapped. Ryan rolled his eyes.

"She's too young to understand what I'm saying. Besides, she probably hears worse between my sister and Jim," he muttered back. Claire turned around and glared at him.

"Would you mind watching your mouth around my kid? Kay, thanks," she said, reaching out to take Natalie back. Reluctantly, he handed his niece back to his sister.

"I was looking around for you everywhere. I mean, I figured that the caterer of the reception would be busy, but I wanted to hang out with my best friend," Oliver whined. Mr. Ruffles chuckled.

"I'm deeply sorry, Oliver. I just figured the newlyweds and his sister might like something from the kitchen, that's all. I thought you were with Rupert?" Mr. Ruffles asked. Oliver sighed.

"He left to go practice his speech and I got lonely. I'm not used to you being too busy to hang out with me," he said, his eyes downcast. The big black Russian man put an arm around Oliver and pulled him close.

"You can come help me in the kitchen then, so that you're not so lonely," he suggested. Ryan, Anna, Claire, and even Natalie watched the two men talk back and forth.

"Wait, Mr. Ruffles is real?" Ryan asked, completely dumbstruck. Anna nodded, her eyes wide. Claire sighed.

"I guess I was wrong about the ferret," she mumbled. Mr. Ruffles stopped his conversation and turned back to the three.

"I did hear that rumor. No, my name is Mr. Ruffles and I was the head chef upon the _Enterprise _until Captain Conaway was blessed with the _Ivory_. Now, I am head chef upon that ship. Today, I am the caterer of the reception for the Conaway marriage," he explained. Ryan giggled.

"I love it when you say Captain Conaway with a Russian accent," he giggled. Anna slapped her husband again.

"Really Ryan? Grow up," she said, thought they both knew she was joking. She just liked to acknowledge the fact that she was the more mature out of the two of them. Mr. Ruffles picked up her hand and placed and gentle kiss on it before turning to Claire and doing the same. Then he turned to Ryan and held out his giant hand.

"It is a pleasure to serve under you and provide food for you today, Captain Conaway," Mr. Ruffles said, a twinkle in his eyes. Ryan smiled and shook the man's hand.

"It's a pleasure to have you here," he replied. Mr. Ruffles bowed and turned to head back towards the kitchen.

"Wow, I can't believe we actually met Mr. Ruffles…" Claire trailed off, still in slight shock. Anna nodded, but Oliver shook his head.

"Actually, you've all met him at least three times before," he stated. Ryan's eyes grew wide.

"What? No… I think I would remember that guy if I had," he scoffed, but Oliver just smiled.

"I'm serious, you've all met him before," he restated. Before Ryan could counter the man's statement again, Anna intervened.

"We're so sorry that we didn't believe that Mr. Ruffles was real, Oliver," she told him. Oliver smiled and shrugged.

"It's okay. Dirt under the bridge," he said before turning to follow Mr. Ruffles into the kitchen. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Dirt under the rug?" She asked. Claire shrugged.

"Water under the bridge?"

"No, dirt under the bridge. Don't question him," Ryan mumbled. They all looked up as Jim returned to the table.

"I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but your parents are here," he said, whispering to Claire and Ryan. Ryan's face turned pale as Claire searched the room. She caught sight of them and groaned.

"Just fucking great," she muttered.

"What happened to watching the language around the kid?" Anna asked.

"My kid, my exception. Besides, you didn't have to sit with them on the phone for ten minutes listening to them bitch," Claire snapped. Jim sat down next to her and smiled at his daughter, who reached out to grab his tie.

"Longest ten minutes of your life," Alex joked.

"Don't mock, they spent five minutes yelling at me for getting pregnant, then five minutes yelling at me for not showing Natalie to them," Claire said, taking a sip of her soda.

"You didn't show her to them?" Liam asked, noticing their parents stopped at the doorway, giving a funny look to one of Anna's drunk cousins.

"Nope, and if I could help it I wouldn't let them see her. I only did it because Jim asked me to," she said. Ryan held back the urge to run a hand through his hair as their parents made their way over.

"Why did they have to come. I just gave them a courtesy call, I didn't want them to show up," he hissed.

"Ryan, just calm down. If you act civil, they will act civil. Hopefully," Anna said. Ryan didn't have time to reply before both his parents were at the table. A silence filled the area and Natalie began to fuss a bit.

"Well, is this how you greet your parents?" Adrienne asked.

"When they are the root of all evil you do," Claire muttered. Charles heard his daughter and sent her a look, ignoring the small child in her arms before turning to his oldest child.

"Ryan, we got your call," he said, his grey eyes meeting his sons.

"I see that. I didn't expect you to show," Ryan confessed. He probably would have been more upset if it weren't for Anna's comforting hand on his arm.

"What happened to the other whore you were going to marry?" Anna raised an eyebrow but kept her mouth shut. She couldn't deny that Colleen was a whore, she however, was not.

"She died," Claire answered. Adrienne looked over and raised an eyebrow.

"Died?" she asked.

"Yeah, she was shot. By a Romulan," Alex explained, draping and arm around Liam's shoulders. Liam nodded.

"It's alright though, Claire kicked his ass and shot that mother fucker." Charles and Adrienne exchanged looks but turned back to their children.

"Well, I guess it's too late to talk you out of this," Charles muttered.

"You could try, but there is no other woman I'd rather be married to," Ryan said, kissing Anna's cheek.

"Such a shame. We had a lovely girl picked out for you an everything. We were actually going to consider having you brought back into the will," Adrienne told him.

"Oh, so sad I missed that one," Ryan replied sarcastically. Claire chuckled and shook her head. Her parents were something, that was for sure.

"How unfortunate," Charles muttered, straightening his tie. The Conaway parents glance around the room, raising an eye at all the people dancing, partying, and generally having a good time. Natalie reached forward to grab her father's tie, but gave a small groan of frustration when she couldn't reach it. Jim chuckled and took it off, letting his daughter play with it.

"I suppose this would be our granddaughter?" Adrienne inquired, looking down at the baby girl. Claire shot her a look as both her parents gazed down at her daughter.

"This is my daughter," she replied. Charles gazed down at her and Natalie looked up, her grey eyes meeting his similar pair.

"Is he the father?" Charles asked, gesturing to Jim.

"We're actually trying to find that out. We don't know if it's his or one of those two boneheads over there," Claire said sarcastically, gesturing to Alex and Liam. Adrienne caught onto her daughter tone and rolled her eyes.

"So, Captain Kirk, you are the one who got our daughter pregnant…" Adrienne stated. Jim looked up at them and wished he was standing, that way he'd be on the same level. However, he wasn't about to leave his girlfriend sitting on her own.

"Uh… yes ma'am, I believe that would be a safe bet," he said.

"Well, then we should expect a wedding invitation soon, right?" Claire and Jim exchanged looks.

"Um… no. We're still not getting married, maybe one day, but not anytime soon," Claire said.

"Hell, if we could just having sex again I'd be happy enough," Jim whispered.

"You and me both," Claire agreed. Adrienne Conaway took a deep breath and tried to control her anger, while Charles Conaway simply tried to not glare at Jim. Ryan watched the exchange and shook his head.

"You are causing our family a great amount of shame, Claire Conaway, I hope you know that…" Charles said, a few drops of sweat appearing on his forehead. Claire shrugged and kissed the top of her daughters head.

"So worth it." Adrienne placed her face in her hand and reached into her four thousand dollar purse and pulled out a tissue, handing it to her husband before looking to her daughter.

"Do we at least have the privilege of knowing her name?" Adrienne asked.

"Yes, we need something to put into the will," Charles agreed. Claire smirked and exchanged looks with Ryan who chuckled.

"Natalie Rose Kirk," Claire told them. Adrienne's eyes went wide and she glared at her daughter.

"You named your daughter after your grandmother?" she hissed. Charles seemed unfazed and rolled his eyes.

"Yup, I named my daughter after grandma Conaway. Didn't you hate her?" Claire asked. Jim rolled his eyes and took his daughter from Claire, he knew she was in the middle of an argument, and would rather distract himself by playing with Natalie. Adrienne made the sign of the cross before turning back to her son.

"Well, I hope you are happy. You will no longer be considered in our will, only your children will be. If they don't disappoint us." Anna scoffed, finally tired of the Conaway's utter disrespect.

"Don't bother. My children will be well off with, or without your money," she snapped. Charles raised an eyebrow.

"You believe so?" he asked.

"I know so. My father owns a chain of hotels around the world. He's more than well off," she said. The table turned toward Anna, and the Conaway parents were shocked.

"Seriously? You said you had a hard time growing up," Liam pointed out.

"I did, until I was fifteen and my fathers business exploded. Then we never had to worry about it," she confessed. Ryan smirked and turned to his parents.

"Your assistance is no longer needed… you can leave." Adrienne didn't need to be told twice, but Charles refused to break eye contact with his son.

"Before I leave, I must speak with you privately," he demanded. Ryan didn't know what to say, but a comforting hand on his shoulder from his wife gave him the courage to nod back. Oh, how he loathed his father.

"Fine. You have five minutes," he snapped. Adrienne was long gone, but Charles lead his son to the side of the room completely out of earshot.

"I am so disgusted with you."

"Thanks, father. This was some talk."

"You knock up a whore, let her die, and then simply replace her with a new one?"

"Anna is not a whore!" Ryan snarled, but Charles didn't stop.

"Your mother wants an heir to our fortune, but I would no sooner burn my money than give it to your filthy children..."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"That woman… she's Mexican or Spanish or whatever. Her blood is filthy. I won't have filthy tainted children inherit our wealth," Charles said, sending a glare over to the table where his daughter and daughter-in-law sat, waiting patiently. Ryan could no longer contain the rage building inside of him. Without a second thought, he grabbed the white pressed collar of his father's dress shirt and slammed him against the wall.

"We don't need your money. We don't need you. I don't want my children to have anything to do with you. And my wife? She's not a whore. Mom was a whore. You married a whore dad," he screamed, causing the relaxing music in the room to stop. All eyes turned to the father and son, watching in horror as Ryan raised a fist. Claire was up on her feet and sprinting across the room before Charles even realized what was happening.

"Ryan, don't do it. Don't sink to his level," she pleaded, grabbing his hand. Ryan's eyes burned with the hate built up over years of neglect and hateful words. Finally, he was able to release it. To tell his father off. He was bigger, stronger, and happier than his father ever hoped to be. Somehow, it made Ryan better. Sure, a loving father and mother would have been amazing, but he was learning to make the best with the hand dealt to him by life. Ryan removed his hand from his father's collar and took a step back, watching the scared expression on his father's face. It didn't take away the years of pain that the Conaway siblings had suffered, but to Ryan, it felt like a start.

"I have everything I need. Amazing friends, a beautiful niece, my extraordinary wife, and the one woman whose always been there for me and I for her. Claire and I don't need you and mom anymore. We're happy," Ryan said, his tone calmer and more collected than he had been mere minutes ago. Charles straightened out his shirt and jacket before glaring at his children.

"If your mother was a whore, then I believe the saying like mother like daughter is correct. And if I married a whore, what does that say about my son?" He snapped. No one even registered what had happened before it was too late. Ryan wasted no time in clocking his father in the face. Ryan could feel the bones breaking underneath his knuckle, but he wasn't sure if it was from his father's nose or his own fist. Warm liquid covered his hand and soaked the white dress shirt Charles wore. Claire was appalled, yet pleased, to see Ryan finally giving their father what he deserved.

"Get the hell out of here," Ryan hissed before turning around and leaving his father to hold his nose in pain, whimpering at the pain. Claire scoffed.

"You're pathetic," she said after a few seconds, watching the man she had tried to hard to please when she was younger. Today was a victory for the Conaway siblings. Anna watched the display before her, her jaw practically on the floor as Jim stood behind her, Natalie in his arms. His own face showed that of shock, but a sense of satisfaction. Ryan approached his wife, his hand still covered in blood and throbbing painfully.

"My beautiful dearest wife, will you grace me with a dance?" He asked, holding out his non-injured hand. Not knowing what else to say or do, she took her husband's hand and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. Claire crossed the room back to her boyfriend and smiled when Natalie smiled up at her.

"Well wasn't that fun?" Natalie only giggled in reply.

* * *

Liam and Alex sat down, both a little out of breath from dancing, and Liam was slightly drunk.

"Dude, this party is off the hook!" Liam called. The table chuckled and Alex rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, too much fun for Natalie," he said. Anna smiled at the small sleeping baby in Claire's arms, and Ryan reached out to gently smooth back her hair.

"I know, poor kid was running without a nap. If momma don't nap, nobody naps," Claire chuckled. Jim laughed and draped an arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah, she'll probably sleep through the night, if the transporter doesn't wake her up."

"Here, why don't I look after her and you guys enjoy yourselves. You haven't been dancing all night," Alex said. Claire looked up and shot her best friend a thankful look before turning to her boyfriend.

"What do you say?" she asked. Jim smiled and nodded, getting up so Claire could move Natalie over to Alex. Once she did, he grabbed her hand and led her to the dance floor.

"At last, a moment alone," Jim said, pulling his girlfriend closer to him. She chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"God, it's been forever. I missed you," she told him. He smiled and pressed his lips onto hers, smiling when she responded immediately. She pulled him closer and felt his tongue brush over her bottom lip, making her moan quietly and open her mouth to let him pass. His grip on her waist tightened and he let his tongue re-explore her own. God it had been too long. He suddenly pulled away and pressed his forehead against hers.

"I want you so bad," he whispered, his voice low and almost desperate. Claire smiled and knew that wearing the dark blue low cut dress would be worth it.

"I think there is a coat closet somewhere," she breathed. His eyebrows shot up and he smiled down at her.

"You serious?" he asked. She nodded and kissed him deeply.

"Yes, now let's go before they decide they don't want to play baby-sitter anymore." Jim smiled and let her lead him away from the dance floor.

"Lead the way!" He said, enjoying the lustful sly smile she shot at him. Before they reached the edge of the room, a hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed Claire's free hand.

"Claire! She's crying and we don't know what to do!" Liam said frantically, gesturing back to their table. Natalie's cries could be heard from across the room as she fussed in the frozen arms of Alex.

"Ryan and Anna are pretty good with her, can't you get one of them?" Claire almost pleaded, wanting to spend some 'alone' time with her boyfriend so badly. Liam gestured to Ryan and Anna who were on the dance floor, never breaking step. The moment their feet stopped was the moment that Ryan would actually have to think about his actions. No, he wanted their simple blissful dancing to be the only thing on his mind that night.

"I didn't want to tear the newlyweds away from their dance. Besides, Natalie is your kid," he pointed out. Claire let out a frustrated sigh and headed back in the direction of their table.

"Fine…" She mumbled. Liam looked at Jim who gave him an glare.

"What?"

"You're a real ball buster, you know that?" Liam smiled.

"I've been told that a few times. Enjoy your blue balls!" Liam called out, following Claire. A few people gave Jim a funny look, causing him to blush.

"So damn close…"

* * *

Ryan gave a small sigh as he looked down at the temporary bandage his sister had given him. When Anna finally got him off the dance floor, his knuckles were throbbing with pain. All he wanted to do was go back on that dance floor once more, but a crap load of speeches and toasts prevented him from that. So after all the formalities, he got a chance to dance with his wife again, and also got a chance to dance with his sister, though it was cut short by his niece's crying. Now it was the end of the night and he we saying goodbye to all his guests, saving family for last.

"Bye Ryan, we miss you!" Liam said, hugging the man then hugging Anna.

"Congratulations… have fun on the honeymoon," Alex said, shaking his hand.

"Oh yeah, the three day honeymoon, they'll be lucky if we make it out of the bed," Ryan joked. Alex chuckled and turned to hug Anna.

"Be careful," she told him.

"Same to you, and don't worry. We're pretty safe down in sickbay," he confessed. She nodded and watched them leave. The only two left were Claire and Jim.

"Congratulations, you two. It was a nice party," Jim said, forcing a small smile.

"You alright Captain?" Anna asked.

"He's just a little disappointed. He'll get over it," Claire told them, sending her boyfriend a look.

"Either way, I hope you two are happy," Jim said.

"Thank you, that means a lot." Jim smiled at Anna and looked over at the parking lot. His face suddenly fell and he gave a heavy sigh.

"Crap, I better go get Bones, I'll see you back on the ship," he told Claire, kissing her quickly. She nodded and watched as he went to help his very drunk friend. Claire chuckled and turned back to her brother.

"Well, enjoy your honeymoon you two. Try not to get in too much trouble," she warned. Ryan chuckled and pulled her into a hug, minding Natalie who was resting her tired head on her mother's shoulder. He pulled away and kissed his sisters cheek. He then leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his niece's head.

"Be safe, I love you," Ryan said. Claire smiled and patted his shoulder.

"I love you too." She turned to Anna and hugged her quickly.

"Thank you for coming," Anna told her.

"Thanks for letting us come. We don't get out too much anymore," Claire confessed.

"That's what happens when you have a kid," Anna chuckled. Claire shrugged.

"You will know soon enough. I better be going. I love you guys, call me soon!" Ryan and Anna waved as they watched her walk off. After a minute, Anna turned toward her husband and smiled.

"Well, we're all alone," she said. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Hmm, That we are," he replied. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips before pulling away and sighing.

"I think we're ready to go on our honeymoon now, Mr. Conaway." He chuckled and kissed her once more.

"Whatever you say, Mrs. Conaway."

* * *

"Do you think you'd want one of your own?" Alex asked as he broke apart from his boyfriend. Both men lay naked in bed, covered in a layer of sex. Liam leaned back against his pillow, closing his eyes.

"An orgasm? I had plenty of my own tonight," he said with a smile. Alex couldn't help, but smile too.

"That's not what I meant, sweetie. I meant a kid," he corrected. Liam opened one eye to look at Alex.

"Are you serious?" He asked, trying to scan Alex's face for any hint of a joke.

"Completely serious," Alex replied, his eyes intent and focused. Liam sighed and turned onto his side, his back facing his lover.

"Don't ruin sex with talk about kids. That's like an anti-boner right there," he stated, closing his eyes again.

"Is that a no?"

"No, it's a let's not talk about this after sex," he replied, feeling Alex shift closer. Honestly, it wasn't that he didn't want kids at all. But just because Claire had one didn't mean everyone else had to get one too.

"A maybe?"

"Okay, I do want kids. But I don't want to rush into it. Kids mean a lot of things, one of them being having to control our sexual urges. Which for us, isn't easy," Liam reminded him. Alex just sighed and wrapped an arm around his boyfriend.

"I know, I just can't think of anyone else who I'd want to have a kid with," Alex mumbled, burying his face in the crook of Liam's neck.

"We'll have it one day, don't you worry."

* * *

A loud scream echoed through the sickbay of the _Ivory _and Ryan ran a hand though his hair. It had been fifteen months since they had been married, and already Anna was in the middle of delivering their first child. However, he wasn't allowed in until they were ready to push. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

"Captain, we're ready for you," the CMO said. Ryan nodded and walked into the delivery room, where Anna was. He quickly walked up to her and took her hand.

"You alright?" he asked.

"NO! I've been in labor for ten hours! You think I'm alright?" she asked.

"Well… no…" Anna scoffed and fell back on the bed. Ryan just held her hand and watched as the CMO sat in front of her.

"Alright Anna… on the next contraction, push, alright?" Anna nodded and after a minute she gave a yell of pain.

"_Qué demonios estaba pensando? Yo nunca estoy haciendo esto otra vez nunca!"_ She cried. Ryan simply held onto her hand.

"Come on baby, you're doing great. You just need to push," he told her.

_"No me digas que me empuje! Yo sé lo que tengo que hacer! ¿Por qué no se presiona, hijo de puta?" _The doctor just smiled and looked at them.

"One more push and the baby is out!"

"_Obtener este niño fuera de mí, ahora! AHHHH!_" A few seconds later the sound of crying echoed through the room and the doctor held up a small baby girl, a pile of small blonde curls on the top of her head and big Conaway ears.

"It's a girl!" he said. Anna smiled and began to cry.

"_Oh dios mío, es mi niña. _Ryan, it's our… Ryan?" she looked over as Ryan's grey eyes were locked on the small child in front of him, and a minute later his eyes rolled in the back of his eyes and he fell back onto the ground.

"Captain?" the doctor asked. Anna glanced down and rolled her eyes.

"He'll wake up soon enough, let me see my baby," she said. The nurse brought her over and placed her in Anna's arm. Her baby's caramel colored skin was just a shade or two lighter than her own.

"Do you have a name?" the nurse asked. Anna nodded and smiled down at her daughter.

"Haley Olivia Conaway."

* * *

Claire walked down the hallway reading over a report in her hand. She had been helping Liam over the past couple years with his new device, and he was close to perfecting it. Alex and Claire had also done well in their fields. Alex had found a way to clean wounds more efficiently and was one of the best trauma doctors in the fleet. Claire, had quickly become one of the top surgeons, especially since a few aliens could not be healed by medicine like others could, and still required surgery. Eventually, McCoy, who was a commander at this point, appointed them both to Lieutenant Commanders. Both of them had been offered positions on other ships and at the academy, but Alex turned them down, saying he still had a lot to learn, while Claire just told them she was happy where she was.

Claire looked up as she entered her quarters and looked around. The place looked the same as it had been when she moved in, with the exception of more photos and a lot more toys. She bent over and picked up a few dirty clothes and threw them in the laundry basket before taking another look around.

"Natalie? Rocky? Jim?" she called. A second later, a large dog came bounding into the room and jumped up on Claire. She quickly caught him and chuckled.

"Hey boy, where is Nat?" she asked. He went back on all fours and turned toward Natalie's room and barked. A second later a small four year old girl ran out of her room.

"Mommy!" she cried. Claire smiled and picked her up off the ground.

"Hey baby, you have a good day?" she asked. Natalie nodded.

"Yup, Spike and I played tea party after Uncle Spock had to go to work. Then he braided my hair and we played dolls," she said. Claire tried to bite back the laugh that threatened to make it's way from her lips as she saw Spike enter the living room. The two of them had surprisingly grown close over the years. Not to mention he was an excellent baby-sitter.

"Really, how nice of him," she said, a wide smile on her lips.

"Oh, shut it," Spike snapped.

"I didn't say anything. I think it's cute that you played tea party and dolls," Claire said. Spike rolled his eyes and ran a hand over his slicked back hair.

"Well, I need to report for duty. I'll see you tomorrow Nat," Spike said, smiling at the four year old.

"Bye!" Natalie replied.

"Thanks Spike, I'll see you around," she said softly. Spike nodded and left the girls alone. Claire rolled her eyes and looked at her daughter.

"Mommy, isn't my hair pretty?" she asked. Claire looked over her daughters dark blonde hair and smiled.

"Yes, it looks wonderful. Fit for a princess," Claire said, kissing her nose and placing her on the ground. Claire walked over to her room and could hear Natalie behind her, skipping to some beat going on in her four year old head.

"You think daddy will like it?" she asked. Claire smiled and began changing.

"I'm sure he'll love it. We'll take a picture of it and send it to Uncle Ryan and Aunt Anna," she told her. Claire smiled upon thinking of her brother. As far as she heard, his four year mission was over and he was currently in charge of escorting ambassadors across the universe. He was doing that on top of raising three little girls: Haley, Ella, and Terra. They were the cutest little girls she had seen, next to her own, and all of them had Ryan wrapped around their fingers.

"Hey, anyone here?" a voice called. A large smile grew on Natalie's face as she got up and ran into the living room.

"Daddy!" she called, running up to Jim. Jim smiled and scooped her up in his arms, giving her a big kiss on her cheek.

"Hey Princess, were you a good girl today?" he asked. His daughters grey eyes met his bright blue and she smiled and nodded.

"Daddy, I'm always a good girl," she told him. He chuckled and kissed her cheek once more.

"What was I thinking?" he asked. He took a few steps into the living room and smiled widely when Claire walked in to join them. She wore a pair of loose jeans and one of his old tee-shirts, but she still looked beautiful.

"Hey babe," Claire said, walking up and placing a gentle kiss on his lips. Jim smiled and looked at Natalie.

"Hey, Nat… do you think I should take mommy out to a nice dinner at the space station tonight?" Natalie smiled and nodded.

"Yeah," she said, giving him a wink. Claire caught it and looked at her boyfriend.

"Dinner? What are you up to?" she asked. He shrugged.

"Nothing. I can't take my girlfriend out to dinner?" he asked. Claire rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"No, I never said that. But we can't just up and go. I mean, who is going to baby-sit? Alex and Liam are working tonight, Spock is running the ship, Uhura is busy enough with Grayson and the new baby to take care of her, and Spike already looked after her today." Jim smiled and gave a small chuckle.

"Bones said he'd watch her," he told Claire. Claire chuckled and shook her head. Though she and her boss still were at ends when it came to work, he had mellowed out drastically. He didn't drink half as much, and he his bed manner had changed. Once in a while he lost his temper, but he was much better and keeping it in check.

"Of course he did. When has he ever said no?" Claire asked. McCoy might have had a tough exterior, but he had a soft spot for Natalie. It was probably worse than Jim, though McCoy had the excuse that he could spoil her.

"Come on, let's go have a night to ourselves. Please?" he asked. Claire sighed but smiled lightly.

"Alright, as long as you are sure that he can watch her for the night." Jim nodded and kissed her once again.

"Go put on that dress you bought a few months ago, I'm going to drop her off." Natalie smiled.

"Can I get my bag now?" she asked. Jim smiled and nodded, putting her on the floor and watching her run off. Claire turned back to her boyfriend and raised an eyebrow.

"You planned this?" she asked, immediately becoming suspicious.

"It was her idea. Go get changed. Please?" he asked. Claire sighed and walked into the bathroom, her dress in hand. A second later the shower began and Natalie ran to her dad, a small pink backpack in hand.

"You going to ask her?" She asked. Jim smiled and nodded.

"Not if we don't get to dinner in time. Come on, let's go see Uncle Bones."

* * *

Jim Kirk took a deep breath as he gazed at his girlfriend sitting across from them. The black dress she wore accented her curves, which took her a year to get back, and showed off her shoulders. She looked just as beautiful tonight just as she did almost six years ago at the bar. Six years, he had known her, and they had been together five of those years. Despite all the rough patches, and all hardships, they were still together.

"Claire…" he said. She looked up, her grey eyes meeting his deep blue.

"Yeah?" she asked. He took a deep breath and his hand grasped the ring box in his pocket. Somehow, deciding that he wanted to ask her the question, was easier than actually asking her.

"I was… well… we've been together for-"

"Hi, how is everything?" the waitress asked. Jim took a deep breath and forced a smile.

"We're fine, thank you," he told her. She nodded and turned toward Claire, who smiled and shook her head.

"No, I'm fine," she said. The waitress smiled and looked at them both.

"Let me know if you need anything." Jim nodded and looked down at the table as he tried to collect himself again. He needed to find the courage to ask her. Mostly he was afraid she was going to say no. He knew she was afraid of turning out like her mother, and because of that, she turned away from marriage. Believing that marriage is what changed her mother.

"So… what were you saying?" She asked. He took himself out of his thoughts and took another deep breath.

"I just… you know I love you," he stated. She gave him a curious look and leaned forward. He tried not to let his thoughts turn dirty and focused on her.

"Of course, I love you too," she replied, her grey eyes trying to read his face.

"Well, I just… we've been together for a long time. And we love each other, so… we should… well…" Claire furrowed her eyebrows.

"Have sex? Is that what you're getting at?" She asked quietly.

"No, well, yeah I'd like to have sex. We don't have it like we used to. But we have a lot, I'm sure not a lot of couples who have a kid have sex at least three times a week," Jim confessed. Claire chuckled and nodded.

"That's because Natalie is a heavy sleeper," she told him. He gave a light laugh and nodded. He saw her eyes light up in the low light of the restaurant and wanted nothing more than to kiss her. He held back and ran a hand through his hair.

"Look, I just… Without you… I don't know what I'd do. You're-"

"Doctor Conaway?" a voice asked. Jim glared at the man as he looked at Claire.

"Uh… yes…"

"You have a call, he said it'll only take a few moments," he told her. Claire sighed and looked back at her boyfriend.

"I'll be right back," she told him. He nodded and watched as she stood up and left the table. Jim stared at what remained of his food before roughly pushing it aside, and pushing it off the table. The dish shattered and a few people turned and looked at him.

"Sorry," he apologized. A few people came over and began to clean it up, while he just moved out of the way. A couple of seconds later the floor was clean and he sat back down. He needed to ask her when she came back, he wasn't sure he could hold off any longer. Even if she said no, at least he'd have an answer. A few seconds later she came back to the table and sat down.

"Sorry, Spike called me about a patient. You'd think after four years he could at least last a night without me," she muttered. Jim nodded and let his fingers tap on the table. He was nervous, that much was obvious. He just had to collect the courage to ask her once more.

"Jim, you alright? You don't look so good," she said. He reached across the table and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze before looking up at her.

"Claire, the past few years have been wonderful. With you I've had some of the best times of my life. I'm not saying it has been easy, there have been plenty of times where it felt easier to just… leave. But you stuck with me, and you have given me so much. You've given me your love, your trust, and you've given me the most beautiful daughter I could ask for." Claire smiled, but the curious look from her eyes never left.

"Jim… I'm touched, but what is this about?" she asked. He took a deep breath and pulled the box out and placed it on the table. Immediately her grey eyes dropped to it and he took the time to spoke.

"Claire… I guess I'm trying to ask… will-"

"Excuse me, are you James Kirk?" a voice asked. Jim gave a frustrated sigh and all but slammed his head on the table. Claire looked away from the box and to the older man, who was looking down at Jim in awe.

"Yes…" Jim said tersely, looking at the man.

"I don't mean to interrupt but-" Jim stood up, fed up with being interrupted.

"You are interrupting! Can't you see I'm in the middle of dinner?" he snapped. Claire frowned and placed a hand on his arm.

"Jim, the man didn't mean no harm," she said, though her gaze dropped back to the box.

"No! Jesus Christ. I'm trying to propose to my girlfriend here! Is it so hard to ask for some God damn privacy?" he asked. Claire's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. The man paled and gave an awkward cough.

"I'm sorry, sir, I was just-"

"You know what, fuck it." Jim grabbed the box and kneeled in front of Claire. He took her hand and looked up at her, watching as her grey eyes began to weld up in tears.

"Jim…" she whispered.

"Claire, please marry me, before someone else does," he said. She chuckled and wiped a few tears falling down her cheeks.

"Okay," she answered. He paused before he spoke.

"Is that a yes? You'll marry me?" he asked. She laughed and nodded.

"Yes, you idiot. I'll marry you." Jim smiled and slipped the ring on her finger, causing the restaurant to applaud. Claire smiled widely and smiled down at her now fiancé. Jim smiled widely before cupping her face in his hands and guiding her lips to his. She immediately responded to his kiss and almost whined when he pulled away.

"Thank you, that would have been very embarrassing if you said no," he told her. She just chuckled and kissed him again.

* * *

"So you guys are finally tying the knot?" Anna asked as she rocked a small child in her arms. Claire nodded excitedly from her place on the screen, holding up her hand to show off the diamond ring now adorning her finger.

"It's been forever and I think Natalie might be happier than we are, but it's finally happening. I'm so excited!" She squealed, clapping her hands together. Anna chuckled and smiled.

"Well, I'm really happy for you guys. Just the other day, Ryan was complaining that Jim was taking too long to propose," she told her soon to be married sister-in-law.

"Did Jim tell you guys?" She asked, a small pang of jealousy shooting through her. Did everyone know before he proposed?

"No, but we knew it was only a matter of time. Otherwise, I think your brother would've hopped aboard the _Enterprise_ and beat the crap out of Jim until he did," Anna informed her, causing Claire to burst out laughing.

"It sounds like something he would do," she replied.

"So what'd he do?" Anna asked as Terra began to get fussy in her arms. Ever so slightly, Anna began bouncing the baby in her arms.

"Oh my god, Anna! It was so romantic!" Claire said, her eyes practically lighting up at the memory.

"MOMMY!" A voice cried out. Claire whirled around in her chair and frowned.

"Aw, what'd you do, Nat?" Claire asked, holding out her arms as her daughter ran towards her. Anna watched as the four year old climbed into her mother's lap, holding out her bleeding elbow.

"I-I was trying t-to get my b-bunny and I f-fell!" She stuttered, holding out the wound. Claire sighed and turned back to the screen.

"Sorry Anna, I'm going to have to cut this short. We'll talk again real soon," she apologized.

"That's fine, go take care of Natalie. I have a few kids of my own, I know the deal," Anna said with a smile, gesturing to the sleep child in her arms. Claire nodded and smiled.

"Must be a handful. Natalie, say bye-bye to Aunt Anna and little Terra," Claire instructed. Natalie turned to the screen and gave a small wave as she tried to stifle back more tears. Anna waved back as the screen went black. Anna relaxed into her chair, looking down at her beautiful sleeping daughter. Terra Reid Conaway was only six months old, yet she proved to be the easiest of the three children that Anna and Ryan had. Haley was always getting into things where she shouldn't be. Just the other day, Ryan had to pry a radio out of the three year old's hands as she tried to tear it apart. Ella Annabella Conaway, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. The one and a half year old cried a lot, always striving for attention from her parents. The CMO on the _Ivory_, Dr. Andrew Doyle, assured her that it was just a stage that every middle child went through, though it normally happened later in life. The six month old baby cradled in her arms turned her head, softly snoring. Anna smiled, down at her, gently brushing back her soft thin layer of brown hair. After having a few kids, Anna knew that babies didn't sleep as much as her youngest daughter, but she didn't mind either. Terra hardly ever cried which was a blessing after Ella.

"Honey, you in here?" Ryan asked, peeking his head through the door. Anna smiled at him as he entered the room, the sleeping form of their middle child visible in the darkened room.

"Yeah, just got off the video chat with your sister," she said, standing up to kiss her husband. It wasn't easy for him being the captain of his own ship while chasing his three year old all over the ship. Thankfully, Oliver was always there to show him a shortcut or a hiding place every now and again.

"How's she doing?" Ryan asked, wrapping his free arm around his wife and starring down at his youngest daughter. In all honestly, he wanted a son more than anything else, but it didn't stop him from loving all three of his daughters with every fiber in his body. Anna leaded him out into the main room of their living quarters to where Haley sat on the couch.

"Jim finally proposed," Anna told him, sitting next to her daughter on the couch. Haley looked up at her parents as Ryan took a seat on the other side of her.

"Aunt Claire and Uncle Jim are finally getting married?" She asked in a loud voice, completely ignoring the senseless cartoon the flashed across the TV. Anna nodded as she held a finger to her mouth.

"Yes they are, but keep your voice down. Your sisters are sleeping," Anna warned. Haley crossed her arms angrily and turned back to the TV.

"You never tell Terra or Ella to be quite," she mumbled. Ryan sighed.

"Ella can't stay up as late as you, baby. Besides, it's your bedtime anyway," he told her. Haley shook her head, her gaze never leaving the screen.

"But I want to finish watching this show, daddy," she pleaded. Ryan sighed and nodded.

"Okay, but just for this show. Then it's right to bed with you," he told her. Anna rolled her eyes and turned to her husband. 'Spineless,' she mouthed to him, much to his dismay. Ryan shrugged and stood up, heading off to Ella and Haley's bedroom. He returned minutes later without the middle daughter and held out his arms to Anna.

"I'll put Terra down for bed," he told her. Anna obliged and passed their youngest daughter to her father. Ryan smiled down at his sleeping daughter all the way to her room, almost running into the door. He gently laid her down and wrapped her up in her pink cotton blanket. Once she was in her crib, he crossed the room to her rocking chair and sat down, watching the slight raise and fall of his baby's chest. He and Anna had been married nearly four years now with three children to show for it and another on the way, according to Dr. Doyle. He smiled, allowing himself to relax in the old rocking chair. His life was perfect he decided as his eyes slowly shut and he drifted off to sleep. The long days as a full time father and a full time captain were slowly starting to get to him.

* * *

Claire gave a small hiss of pain and glared at Liam in the mirror.

"That hurt!" she hissed. Liam rolled his eyes and continued to fix her hair. Claire glanced down at the simple white dress she had on. It was nowhere near as lavish and big as Anna's was, but it was simple and hugged her curves. She didn't want her wedding to be extravagant, just nice.

"Oh shush, you wanted your hair curled with flowers pinned in it, you will get just that. Now quit your bitching," Liam snapped. Claire sighed and watched as he pinned in the last couple of flowers.

"Mommy, are you almost done?" Claire turned around and smiled as her daughter ran up to her.

"Almost, we just have to wait for a little bit," she told her. Natalie climbed up on her lap, and Liam quickly moved her shoes so she didn't dirty the dress.

"Be careful Natalie, you don't want to get mommy's dress dirty," Liam said softly. Claire smiled at her gay boyfriend. He was going to be a great dad one day.

"I didn't get mommy's dress dirty," Natalie defended. Claire pulled her daughter closer and kissed the top of her head.

"It's okay sweetie, we know you didn't. Uncle Liam was just telling you to be careful, okay?" she asked. Natalie nodded and Liam chuckled.

"Alright, I'm going to go get Alex, you going to be alright?" he asked. Claire nodded and smiled.

"Just fine. I still have twenty minutes before I have to head out." He nodded and smiled at Natalie, who was playing with the hem on her light blue dress.

"I'll come back and bring a flower for her hair as well," Liam said. Natalie smiled at her Uncle Liam.

"I want a flower!" Claire laughed and shook her head.

"If you are a good girl you can have a flower. Only good girls get flowers," she said.

"I'll be good!" she said. Liam laughed and kissed her forehead before leaving. Claire watched him go before turning back to her daughter. It was no doubt that she had a lot of the crew wrapped around her finger. She was the first child that really stayed on the _Enterprise_, and with big grey eyes like hers, how could anyone resist? Not to mention she spent an equal amount of time one the bridge and sickbay. When neither Claire nor Jim could find someone to watch her, they usually ended up taking her to work. Claire didn't mind, usually Liam stopped what he was doing to play some sort of game with her, or she would just go into Uncle Bones' office and hang out with him. On the bridge, she usually just walked around talking to everyone, being very social like her father. However, she seemed to gravitate toward Chekov, and loved to sit in his lap and look at the computer. Jim said it was because he was the youngest, Claire said it was just because she liked listening to his accent.

"Mommy, can I have some lipstick?" Natalie asked.

"Hmm, not lipstick, we can put some gloss on your lips, hand me that pink tube," Claire instructed. Natalie looked over the table in front of her before picking up the tube and handing it to her mother. Claire smiled and put just a bit on her daughters lips.

"Thank you, do I look pretty?" she asked. Claire nodded.

"You look beautiful, just don't tell daddy."

"If I had a nickel, for every time I heard that…" A voice interrupted. Claire turned around and smiled widely upon seeing her brother enter the small tent.

"Uncle Ryan!" Natalie squealed, jumping off her mom's lap and running to her uncle. Ryan smiled and scooped her up into a hug.

"Hey Kiddo!" Claire stood up and looked down at her brothers side, seeing her oldest niece.

"Hi Haley," She said. She smiled and ran up to hug her aunt.

"Hi Aunt Claire," she replied. Both kids broke away from their aunt and uncle and turned toward each other.

"Hi Haley!" Haley smiled.

"Hi Natalie, you want to find the cake with me?" Natalie smiled.

"Yeah!" Soon both girls took off out of the tent and onto the beach, Ryan went to stop them but Claire put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, I hid the cake." He laughed and leaned down to give his sister a hug. It had been far too long since he'd seen her in person.

"Good, good. Haley has been trying to get in as much trouble as possible lately. Anna says she's acting out since we've got another one on the way," he told her, releasing her smaller frame from his muscular arms.

"Natalie has her father's natural instinct for getting into trouble, so I know all about that," Claire said, chuckling. Ryan smiled as he gave Claire a once over, admiring her wedding dress.

"Wow Claire… if our parents actually gave a shit, they would be proud," Ryan said, examining her hair and looking over the simple design. Claire returned his smile.

"Mom and dad can go fuck themselves. The only person in our family who matters to me is you," she told him, causing Ryan to stop and look Claire in the eyes. Grey clashed with grey as a single tear fell down Claire's cheek. The overwhelming happiness and the bittersweet feeling of her parents absence broke down her resolve of not crying.

"You tearing up a bit?" He asked, leaning up to wipe the tear away. Claire nodded.

"But don't tell Liam, he'll attack me and force me to let him redo my make-up."

"Your secret is safe with me." She smiled and grabbed a tissue.

"Oh man, if I'm sitting here crying I wonder how Jim is doing," she muttered. Ryan sighed and pulled his sister into another hug.

"You're going to be fine. I'm glad you decided to have it on this planet though, I would've never been able to make it to earth," he told her. She pulled away and smiled.

"Well, this planet means a lot to us. We had one of the most romantic nights of our relationship here. Not to mention I totally kicked Colleen's ass here," she said. Ryan gave a loud laugh and shook his head.

"That was you? she said she got was sparing with some guy during class. It was part of their training or whatever." Claire rolled her eyes.

"Please, I owned her." Ryan chuckled and sat down with her on a small bench.

"I can't believe you're getting married," he said softly.

"You also couldn't believe I got pregnant either, but Natalie is running around here somewhere. I can't believe you have three kids and another on the way. You're not holding back are you?" she asked.

"I always told you I wanted a ton of kids. I don't know why this would surprise you," he pointed out.

"Uh, no. You said you wanted a ton of boys, there is a difference." Ryan sighed and shook his head.

"Well, I love my girls. I'm hoping for a boy, but I will love whatever Anna gives me." Claire nodded and took his hand.

"I'm glad you're here Ryan." He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"I'm glad I'm here too. I saw Jim had two best men, where are your maids of honor?" he asked. Claire got a sly smile and went to answered, but someone entered the tent on the beach before she could. Ryan simply took one look at the person and his jaw dropped.

"Alright, once we redo your make-up, we will be ready!" Liam said. Ryan just looked the man up and down, trying not to laugh at the powder blue dress he wore.

"Alex refused to wear the dress, but Liam was all for it," Claire told him. Ryan cringed slightly, seeing the man's big feet in blue wedge heels. He assumed that they had to get the specifically made for the gay doctor.

"Liam, why would you willing do this?" He asked, placing a hand over his eyes.

"Because my butt doesn't look so big in this dress. Besides, Claire needed a maid of honor," Liam explained, doing a turn to show off his dress. Claire managed to resist bursting out into laughter, which wasn't so hard after so many years of dealing with the gay man's behavior.

"Anna could have been your maid of honor," Ryan offered, removing his hand from over his face. Claire shrugged.

"I know and she was actually my first choice, but we needed someone who could actually be here for the planning. No offense, but you guys have been busy," she said. Ryan nodded as Liam crossed the room and stood in front of him.

"You need to leave now, sorry. I need to get her make-up done and you're just distracting us!" Liam scolded.

"I'm pretty sure you're more distracting than I am," Ryan muttered. Claire chuckled and kissed her brothers cheek.

"I'll see you later? They made a small area for the reception, it's on the beach, but they put wood down. It's pretty cool," she confessed. He nodded and stood up.

"Alright, don't be too nervous. It's scary at first, but then it's amazing." Claire chuckled and sighed.

"I think I'm alright. I love you," she said. He nodded and walked to the opening.

"Love you too. I'll see you… Haley! Leave that dog alone!" Claire began to laugh as Ryan ran out to go scold his daughter. Claire turned back to Liam who began to do her make-up once more.

"Alright, now, if you cry, I'm going to have to kill you. This is my best work." Claire rolled her eyes.

"Yes, let me hold back all my emotions for you," she said sarcastically.

"Damn right."

* * *

Claire nervously tapped her foot on the small board walk. She knew she shouldn't be nervous, she had lived with Jim for over five years, and they raised a child together for a little over four. Marriage should be easy. However, simply having the name Kirk meant a lot to her, and Jim. She took a deep breath and looked down at her daughter, who was messing with one of her dark blonde curls. She was so excited that they were getting married, though she couldn't really understand it. Claire was excited too, but again, it was a big step.

"You ready?" Alex asked. She nodded and smiled up at her best friend. She had a few friends from the academy at her wedding, but none of them she considered her best friends any more.

"I think so… are you going to get married after me? You and Liam are the only couple left," she pointed out. Alex chuckled and shrugged.

"Maybe, we actually thought we'd get married before you would. Liam's probably going to pressure me now," he said. She smiled and nudged him lightly.

"You two would be happy, you deserve to be happy. Get married, start a family… you deserve it," she told him. He smiled and pulled her into a hug. Claire hugged him back and gave a small squeeze before pulling away.

"You know… when I first met you, I only wanted to sleep you. I never thought you would be one of my best friends," he confessed.

"Uh, you did sleep with me, remember?"

"You guys had a sleepover? Was daddy there too?" Alex pressed his lips together in order to not laugh, but was failing. Claire flinched, just thinking about Jim walking in on them, or worse, joining them, was just wrong.

"Uh, no… daddy was…"

"Having a sleepover with someone else," Alex answered. Claire smacked his shoulder and tried to resist the urge to run her hand through her hair.

"Hey, you guys ready?" Claire looked up and smiled at Liam, who was smiling back at them.

"Yeah… I'm ready."

* * *

Jim took a deep breath as he saw everyone get seated. He was waiting at the alter, and only had a few more minutes before he saw his wife to be. It had taken him five years to get over his fear of commitment, and finally he gotten the courage to ask Claire to marry him. When she said yes, he was relieved, and also scared. Sure, they had lived together for a few years, but nothing really forced them together, except for Natalie. Jim was fairly certain that they would have stayed together without their daughter, but either way, they were together.

Music started and soon Natalie came around the corner with Grayson, Spock's son, by her side. Jim smiled as his daughter waved at him and sat next to Uhura. Jim smiled and continued to look down the aisle, cringing a little when he saw Liam walk down the aisle with a dress. He knew Claire had told him he was going to be one of her maid of honors, along with Alex, however, he didn't believe her when she said that he was wearing a dress. He tried to ignore the man and gave a small nod to Alex, who gave him a reassuring smile. After a couple more minutes, he looked down the aisle and waited for the one person who he wanted to see. After a few more minutes, she turned the corner and made her way toward him.

He was vaguely aware of other people around him, of the setting son, of the breeze, even of the waves. But they didn't matter. All that mattered was his fiancée walking toward him, her grey eyes set on his deep blue. She stepped up next to him and smiled reassuringly. He took her hand in his and they turned toward the minister. The man smiled before beginning the ceremony, though neither of them could admit to actually hearing the man. Jim's eyes drifted back to her face, watching as the alien planets sun lit up her face. Her light blonde hair looked almost platinum, and those beautiful grey eyes he loved so much, were now border lining silver. Those same beautiful eyes she had passed onto their daughter.

Claire gave his hand a small squeeze as they turned toward each other. His dirty blonde hair was still untamed, though she couldn't deny that she loved it. His bright blue eyes were as bright as the sea, and the smile on his face did nothing but make her heart flutter. She was ready to marry him. No longer did she hold any fear of commitment, no longer did she worry about the future. She just wanted him, and to live the rest of her life with him and their daughter.

"Jim…" the minister said. Jim turned to him and nodded before turning back to Claire.

"I promise you, Claire Adrienne Conaway, that I will be your loving and loyal husband from now on. I will share with you all of life's joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, until death parts us." Claire smiled and took a deep breath.

"I promise you, James Tiberius Kirk, that I will be your loving and loyal wife from now on. I will share with you all of life's joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain, until death parts us." Jim smiled and the two of them exchanged ring while the minister went on with the ceremony. After a few more minutes, the minister smiled at both of them.

"Because they have so affirmed, in love and knowledge of the other, so also do I declare that James Tiberius Kirk and Claire Adrienne Conaway are now husband and wife. You may-"

"-Kiss the bride, got it," Jim interrupted, pulling Claire forward and kissing her deeply. Her heart all but jumped out of her chest, but she just continued to kiss her husband. A few people clapped but Claire was too lost in the kiss to care. After a few minutes, Jim pulled away only to lean in again and place a quick, but sensual kiss on her lips.

"Ready to go to the reception? Mrs. Kirk?" Claire smiled widely at his address and nodded.

"Of course. But to tell you the truth, I'm more excited for the week long honeymoon," she confessed. He took her hand and led her back down the aisle.

"One party at a time."

* * *

"So how hard was it to get him agree to him to be the bride?" Ryan asked as he downed a shot at the bar.

"Get him to agree? He didn't even make it a choice. As soon as I proposed, he rushed into Claire's surgery and told her they were going dress shopping," Alex said, joining his 'best man' at the bar. The first rule about having a gay wedding was getting a large bar for before, during, and after the wedding.

"What'd she have to say to that?" Rupert asked, signaling to the bartender that he needed another shot of whiskey.

"She told him to get the fuck out before she gave him a reason to be in surgery. I think she was operating on a Vulcan elder or something." Ryan shook his head and sighed. A year after Claire and Jim's wedding and things were busy as ever. Ryan was now the father of another girl, Almira Elena Conaway. Unlike Terra, she was very loud, but not fussy, she just liked to talk. He wanted to try for a boy, but Anna wanted to wait for a little bit, so they were halting on having kids for the time being.

"Man, I guess you're excited," Rupert muttered, messing with his tie.

"I am, I mean, I was hesitant at first, but after seeing Claire and Jim so happy, I figured I should just go for it."

"You having kids next?" Ryan asked.

"Not sure, I just want to get over today, and then go from there. If I did have a kid, I want to have a boy," Alex confessed.

"Psh, you're preaching to the choir. Ryan has been trying to have a boy forever, keeps getting stuck with girls," Rupert told him. Ryan shot him a look.

"I'm not stuck with them. I love my girls. But yeah, I do want a boy…" he admitted.

"Kirk too, he's trying to convince Claire to get off the shot, he wants to have a little brother for Natalie." Rupert chuckled and shook his head.

"How is that going?" he asked.

"Knowing Claire, she probably planned his death each time he brought it up," Ryan muttered.

"It wasn't pretty, that's for sure."

"Well, may you have better luck then Kirk!" Ryan said, smiling lightly.

"And Ryan!" Rupert added, causing Ryan's smile to vanish.

"And what about you, Rupert? No kids or wife in your future?" Ryan pointed out, trying to change the topic. Rupert shrugged.

"Giles men don't normally settle down. It's probably the only thing that Randy and I have in common, honestly," he said.

"Whose Randy?" Everyone turned to look at Jim who approached the bar.

"That would be Spike's real name," Alex explained, trying to gesture to the bartender. With the way the men were drinking, you'd think that the bartender would know better than to walk away.

"After all the years of knowing him, I never knew that," he said, sitting next to Ryan.

"Yeah, the only person who actually calls him Randy is Rupert," he said, shoving his glass towards the bartender.

"So what's new in the world of Ryan Conaway? Any more girls on the way?" Jim asked with a smirk as the bartender began filling drinks.

"The world of Ryan Conaway shouldn't be important on the wedding day of Liam and Alex Chambers-Peterson," Ryan said, changing the topic once more.

"It really does bother you that you haven't had a boy yet, isn't it?" Jim asked. Alex rolled his eyes as Ryan ran a hand through his perfectly groomed hair.

"Yes, please, let's talk about the guy who didn't get married today," he said dryly. Rupert placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Would you rather Jim pick at you or pick at Ryan?" He asked seriously.

"Good point."

"You're not alone though, Ryan. With the whole wanting a boy thing."

"I heard, how is that going?" Ryan asked. Alex rolled his eyes and Rupert sighed. He would never understand married men, nor fathers. At least, he hoped he never did.

"Your sister is very…stubborn."

"Don't I know it. At least Anna is all for it, she just wants a break from having kids. We'll probably be back at it soon," Ryan said.

"Oh, such a shame. God, you have to hate having all that sex to try and have a kid," Alex chuckled. Ryan nodded but Jim shrugged.

"Wouldn't know, never tried. I just have a lot of sex. Which thankfully, my wife is all for," Jim confessed. Ryan sighed and forced himself not to strangle the man next to him.

"Well, if I know my sister, which I believe I do, I think it is a very good chance that I'll have a boy long before you do," Ryan told his brother-in-law.

"You think so? I think I can convince Claire to try and have a boy before Anna even thinks she can," he told him.

"How are you going to do that?" Rupert asked. Jim smiled and shrugged.

"I am very persuasive…" Alex rolled his eyes and Ryan sighed.

"Come on, we need to be at the alter in fifteen minute. Why don't you find my sister and try and persuade her."

"Don't think you want me doing that before a wedding, especially when she is in it." Ryan looked confused before realizing what he was talking about and turned toward Alex.

"Come on, let's get you married before I kill my brother-in-law."

"Good plan!"

* * *

"Man, I wish I could have been as calm as you before my wedding," Ryan mumbled as he straightened Alex's bow. Alex just smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Marriage is a new thing for us, but we've been through so much that this little ceremony isn't such a huge scare," Alex explained, looking down the aisle. It was still empty, although they had sent someone back to get his future husband at least five minutes ago.

"You okay?" Alex took a deep breath and smiled.

"A little nervous, but otherwise alright. I just hope he gets out here soon…" all of a sudden, music began to play and both men looked down the aisle when he saw Claire walk to the alter, giving Alex a reassuring smile before standing where she was supposed to and waiting for Liam. A few seconds later, he appeared down the walkway, wearing a white tux. Alex was momentarily surprised, expecting his husband-to-be to wearing a dress. Liam stood next to last and took his head, sending him a knowing look.

"Dress later," he whispered. Alex chuckled and they both turned to the female minister.

"Marriage is founded upon sincerity and understanding which leads to tolerance, confidence and trust. It involves respect for each other's feelings and weaknesses and faults. You believe that those qualities, which have attracted you both to each other, can be best developed during a life spent together. A happy marriage will enable you to establish a home with love and stability, where your family and friends will always be welcome and which will be a base from which the influence of your shared, and we hope strengthened life today, can extend." She paused and looked at the two men.

"Do you, Alexander Justin Chambers, take Liam Joseph Peterson to be your husband, to love, honor, comfort, and cherish from this day forth?" Alex smiled.

"I do."

"Do you, Liam Joseph Peterson, take Alexander Justin Chambers to be your husband, to love, honor, comfort and cherish from this day forth?" Liam smiled and nodded his head enthusiastically.

"You bet I do." The audience laughed and Claire rolled her eyes, while Ryan shook his head.

"Exchange rings," she ordered. The men did what she said and looked at her when they were done.

"Having pledged yourselves each to the other, I do now, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the power of Starfleet, pronounce you to be husband and… well… husband. You may now seal this your marriage by kissing each other." Liam flung his arms around Alex and kissed him full on the mouth, being so happy to finally be married to him.

"Guys… you know the honeymoon is later… right?" Claire whispered. Liam broke away and glared at her.

"Oh shush, don't get me started on how many times you and Jim were sucking face, so shut up and let me suck face with my husband!" Claire laughed and sighed.

"Newly weds, what are you going to do?" Ryan asked.

* * *

"Sucking face?" Jim asked as he took a seat next to Ryan at the "Conaway/Kirk" table. Claire and Anna sat next to each other, chattering away. Haley and Natalie sat next to Claire, secretly plotting their next mission while Terra and Ella sat next to their mother while Almira was nestled in her mother's arms.

"I'm not and you're not," he stated, taking a sip of his champagne. Jim chuckled.

"No, I meant the happy new couple," he said, gesturing to the two grooms making out at the head table.

"Oh, yeah. It appears they still are," Ryan said, barely registering his brother-in-law's words.

"What's on your mind?" Jim asked, snagging a glass of champagne for himself as a waitress walked past.

"Nothing, just thinking," he mumbled, twirling the glass around in his hands.

"It's obviously bugging you. You're moping about at two of your best friends wedding," Jim pointed out. Ryan placed his glass down.

"It's stupid, but… I really want a son of my own." Jim shrugged.

"It's not stupid, I understand… to an extent. You've been trying for a while, it's understandable that it's getting you frustrated. Just… wait it out. It'll happen eventually. In the mean time, enjoy your kids, they grow up quick," Jim said. Ryan sighed and nodded.

"I know, I know… Haley is going to be five soon… I remember when she was born."

"Didn't you pass out when she was born?" Ryan shot him a look and took another sip of his drink.

"Shut up." Jim chuckled and watch as Natalie jumped off the chair and went to run past him, Jim quickly took hold of her and pulled her onto his lap.

"Hey, what are you up to?" he asked, tickling her sides. Natalie chuckled and squirmed.

"Nothing! Daddy!" Jim stopped and watched as Haley walked up to them.

"We weren't doing anything…" she said.

"Hmm… well, if I know Natalie, which I'm pretty sure I do, you guys are up to no good," he said, looking at his daughter.

"Haley, remember our promise," Ryan said. Haley rolled her eyes.

"I know. No touching anything expensive that can break," she said. Ryan chuckled and pulled her to him, kissing the top of her head.

"Daddy, can I go play now?" Natalie asked. Jim nodded and kissed her cheek.

"Yeah, stay out of trouble." She nodded and walked over to her cousin, taking her hand and pulling her away.

"Follow me!" she said. Jim and Ryan both watched their daughters as they disappeared under a table. After a moment Jim took a large swig of his drink and sighed.

"I love Natalie to death but…" Jim trailed off and Ryan nodded.

"You want a son." Jim nodded and looked up as Claire walked over to him.

"Hey, you guys alright? You look like someone ran over your dog." She paused and shot a look at Jim. "Rocky is alright… right?" he chuckled and nodded, taking her hand and giving it a gentle kiss.

"The dog is fine."

* * *

"Hey guys!" The Conaways and the Kirks looked up to see Oliver standing before them in a disheveled suit, dripping wet from head to toe.

"Where have you been all night?" Ryan asked, raising an eyebrow at the man standing before him. He knew he probably shouldn't ask, but he couldn't help it.

"I was playing tag with Haley and Natalie. They ending up pushing me into a pool," he explained with a smile, taking a seat next to Claire. She frowned as she moved her dress away from the soaking wet man.

"Jim, I think you need to go find Natalie," she instructed. Jim nodded and rose from the table.

"I swear, that girl can't go one day without getting into trouble," he mumbled. Ryan rose as well.

"You going to find Haley?" Anna asked. Ryan shrugged.

"Well, I was going to head to the bar, but I suppose I can go find the little rug-rat while I'm up," he said sarcastically, causing Anna to chuckle.

"Ha ha, go find our little troublemaker," she instructed. He nodded and left in the same direction Jim had left. He nodded to Rupert who walked past him from the bar towards the head table.

"Are you guys going to cut the cake soon?" Rupert asked as he returned from his eighth trip to the bar. Liam pulled out of the heated kiss with his new husband.

"This soon?" He asked as Alex leaned into his neck, tracing his tongue over Liam's collarbone.

"Dude, you guys have been making out for like two hours. Cut the damn cake already!" Rupert snapped, a slur evident in his voice. Liam placed a quite peck on Alex's cheek before raising to his feet.

"Alright, might as well get this over with. Come on," Liam said, taking Alex's hand. Alex stood up and followed him down to the table, where everyone was beginning to gather.

"So… we ready to just cut?" Alex asked. Liam nodded and smiled at the small Bert and Ernie wedding cake topper.

"Wow… Claire when you told me it was a surprise, I thought you got topless men for the top of the cake," he confessed. Claire chuckled and shrugged.

"Well, I saw this and couldn't resist. You guys really are like Bert and Ernie." Alex rolled his eyes and took the knife.

"Alright, let's serve some cake," he said. He and Liam proceeded to cut the cake and put a rather large slice of it on a plate.

"Here," Liam said, grabbing a handful of it and shoving it in Alex's mouth, Alex chuckled and did the same.

"Jerk," he muttered. Liam chuckled and kissed his husband. After a minute they broke apart when they heard a loud gasp and a couple of high pitched giggles. Claire heard them and looked around the cake, her eyes growing wide when she saw what was going on. Both Natalie and Haley had been hiding under the table, and decided to resurface in order to grasp handfuls of cake and shove it in their mouths. Anna was also close by and stood so she was next to Claire.

"Natalie Rose Kirk, put that cake down!" Claire hissed. Natalie froze and looked over at her mother, her mouth full of cake and her face covered in frosting. Anna was already sending a look to her daughter, and Haley looked as if she were trying to find the exit.

"Uh-oh…" Natalie said. Claire went to take a step forward the same time Natalie and Haley went to run. Unfortunately, the table cloth they were stepping on slipped, causing Haley to fall on her knees. Natalie, instead of letting herself fall, grabbed onto the flimsy table. Between the weight of the ten pound cake, and the tons of plates, the table could not withstand her own weight, and crumbled. The cake fell forward onto both girls, and there was a stunned silence as both girls paused to try and comprehend the fact that they were now almost covered head to toe in cake. Ella, who had been standing not too far from her mother, suddenly ran forward.

"CAKE!" She cried, dropping to the floor and stuffing her face the with sugar filled desert. Claire placed a hand over her face and looked at Liam, who began to laugh hysterically. Alex soon followed and pretty soon the whole room was filled with laughter. Anna walked over and grabbed Ella, while she saw Ryan walk over and pick up Haley from the floor.

"Sorry, I think we better head back," Anna apologized. Liam took a deep breath and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. I hope you had fun," Liam said. Anna smiled and walked over to the table, where her younger daughters were and the Conaway's soon left. Claire walked over to Natalie, and helped the young girl off the floor, while Jim walked over and picked her up, not really caring about his suit at this point.

"Am I in trouble?" Natalie asked.

"Oh yes, no desert for a week," Claire told her.

"But mom!"

"No…" Natalie looked at her father, who was having a hard time not laughing at the state of his daughter.

"Daddy, I like my pudding cups," She told him. Claire heard Alex begin to laugh and Liam lightly slapped him.

"What did your mother say?" he asked.

"No pudding cups…"

"Alright, sorry to cut this short, but we should probably go," Claire said walking up to her two friends as Jim took Natalie to the washroom to get cleaned up a bit.

"Are you sure?" Liam asked as Claire leaned in for a hug.

"Yeah, we don't want to ruin your reception any more," she apologized as she turned to hug Alex, but Liam refused to let go.

"Are you kidding me? This is probably the best wedding ever!" He squealed in her ear, giving her a strong bear hug.

"Uh… okay?"

"It's pretty memorable, you know? It's not everyday that your best friends' kids drop your wedding cake," Alex explained as he pried his husband's hands off Claire. Claire was relived as the feeling returned back to her arms and she turned to Alex.

"Eh, I guess you're right. Still, it's getting pretty close to Natalie's bedtime," she said. Alex nodded as she pulled away.

"That little troublemaker is in good hands," he said with a smile. Claire returned his smile as a whistle rung through the room. The three of them turned to the door to see Jim standing there with Natalie thrown over his should.

"Not to speed this along or anything, but we really should get going," he shouted as Natalie waved good-bye.

"The cake was yummy!" Natalie called out, waving to her gay 'uncles'. Claire nodded and turned back to the newlyweds.

"Enjoy your honeymoon," she said as she headed towards her husband and daughter.

"Oh trust me, we will," Liam called back with a mischievous smile.

"Why do I get a bad feeling about it?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow. Liam turned to his new husband and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

"We're not going anywhere until we get all these people out of here," he said with a wink, straightening Alex's tie and walking towards the mass of people. Alex sighed.

"I married the biggest tease in the universe," he mumbled.

* * *

Anna placed her youngest daughter in her crib before turning to her husband, who had finished cleaning up their oldest. The middle children had fallen asleep almost as soon as coming home, not that their parents were complaining. Ryan tucked in Haley before turning to her and smiling widely.

"Bed?" he asked. She nodded and let him wrap and arm around her waist.

"These kids are going to be the end of me," she muttered.

"Haley is really the only problem, Ella is getting better, and Terra and Allie are pretty easy going." Anna raised an eyebrow and looked up at him.

"I wonder whose kids they are," she muttered. Ryan shrugged and entered the bedroom with her. Ryan began to undo his tie and looked over at his wife, who was looking at him curiously.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked, throwing his tie on the bed and walking over to her.

"It's just… are you alright? You seemed a little down recently." Ryan furrowed his eyebrows and shook his head.

"I'm fine. It's just been tiring. You know better than me how difficult it is to work and take care of all these girls," he whispered, his fingers tracing over her cheekbone.

"You think it would be different if we were taking care of boys?" She asked. He sighed and shook his head.

"No, no… I'm just saying I'm tired." She took a hold of his hand and pressed her lips together.

"I want a son too, I'm sorry that we haven't-"

"Anna, don't worry about it. I love you and I love our daughters. I guarantee the only reason this is such a big deal is because I'm tired. Don't be sorry about anything like that. Okay?" she nodded and kissed him.

"We'll try again in a few months, let's just let Almira get a bit older." He nodded and kissed his wife deeply his hands moving up and down her body to get a feel for her curves, a few she achieved giving birth to Terra.

"Thank you, for being my wife," he whispered. She smiled.

"Anytime."

* * *

Claire kissed the top of her daughters head and pulled the covers up to cover her. She smiled lightly before leaving the nursery and into the living room, where Rocky was laying. She smiled and kneeled down, scratching behind his ears. He wagged his tail and laid back down when she stood up and walked into her bedroom, chuckling lightly at the sight of her husband trying to scratch off the dried cake.

"You alright over here?" she asked.

"No, I'm probably going to have to buy a new monkey suit."

"Awww, poor Jim, maybe there is something I can do to make it up to you," she suggested, raising her hands to slowly unbutton his dress shirt.

"I don't know, this has gotten me really depressed," he confessed. She peeled away his shirt and ran her hands over his undershirt.

"Hmm… I'm sure I can think of something, Mr. Kirk…" before she could kiss him, he pulled away and took her hands in his. She shot him a confused look and pulled back a little herself.

"Claire…"

"If you weren't in the mood-"

"No, it's not that, I'm always in the mood I just… I…" he sighed and looked down. He wasn't sure when this excessive want for a son started, but he was starting to get really annoyed. With himself, and with Claire.

"Jim, what is it?" He sat down on the bed and brought her with him.

"Claire, I know… I know your pregnancy with Natalie was tough, but… can't we just think about trying again?" he asked. Claire sighed and took one hand away to run it through her hair.

"You know how I feel about that," she said softly. He nodded and let his free hand cup her cheek.

"I understand, and I understand your reasons, but… can you understand me? I'm not saying we should have five more kids, I just want to try once. I just want the chance for a son… please?" he asked. Claire sighed and took a hold of both of his hands.

"You really want to try?" she asked. He nodded and moved a little closer.

"Yes, and I'm going to keep asking you till you say yes. Just one more baby… please?" he asked. She thought about it for a minute before looking at him and nodding.

"I'll get off the shot then," she whispered. Jim smiled widely and kissed her deeply.

"Thank you." She nodded and gave him a look.

"Only one more though. I love you, but you don't have to go through the actual pregnancy." He nodded.

"Only one."

* * *

_And to the reviews!_

_**Lintered**_  
_**Raxsah:** I know, it's almost over. I'm so sad. But we had tons of fun, if I say so myself. I hope you liked the epilogue, and believe it or not, we have even more! Isn't that a scary thought?_  
_**Jeck:** Eh, we had a good run. Actually, Riley comes back as a zombie and they all go BOOM! :D_

_**Swfangirl21**_  
_**Jeck:** Yeah, that's why I only read the seventh book once. I couldn't take all my favorite characters dying! I really liked Tonks too… you know, I really probably put spoiler alert in front of the things I say that are spoilers… oh well, people should have read the book by now. Yeah, Claire and Jim are something special. I mean… Ryan and Anna get married and have tons of babies. Liam and Alex get married and have a few. But Jim and Claire have a baby and then get married. Their relationship had a bunch of ups and downs, but they made it through! YAY! If you had a drunk Liam and Alex, would you take them back to your room? Lol I just very well might… then again, I'm a horrible lesbian sometimes. Unless I'm molesting Raxsah. Then all is right with the world. :3 No, Mr. Ruffles wasn't revealed until the epilogue. He started out as a long running joke and we ended up deciding to make him a real person. A black Russian, in fact. You can tell we're strange people. Part of me thought Rupert/Oliver might have worked, but Rupert is like a father/older brother to Oliver. He just takes care of him and then goes off to get lots of pussy. Rupert… I want to be like you when I grow up. :D Yeah, Ryan and Anna end up with a lot of kids. Poor Ryan… actually, poor Anna's vagina! Ryan kind of needed his own ship. Bouncing from the Berlin to the Enterprise gave him a lot of experience as well as all the noble things he got to do, etc. Besides, Captain Conaway is pretty badass. :D I'm glad you fell in love with us. We kind of fell in love with you too. And honestly, how often does that happen? I mean, I'm in love with the author Rave the Rich, but he barely knows I exist. Though he did give me some good tips… not the point! Thanks for jumping aboard with us on our first real story together and let's hope there's many more in the future for us! All three of us! :D You love Resident Evil too? HUZZAH! You'll definitely enjoy our story then. I'm a band geek. :D And a fanfiction geek. And a video game geek. And yeah, a Harry Potter geek. :D That's pretty badass, I'm not gonna lie. Lord of the Rings was never really my thing though. Raxsah, on the other hand, loves it! Can we group cupcake and eat hugs too?_  
_P.S. My favorite part was when Harry tried out the Snatcher's wand. :D My least favorite part? Any part with the snake… D:_  
_**Raxsah:** I love the corny! I wish my love life could be that corny. If I had such a love life. I think the epilogue is just smothered in fluffiness and shit. But it's as it should be. We don't talk about how many Harry Potter characters die. It makes me mad. Anyway, I love Natalie. When I'm really bored and Jeck has our new story, I debate if I wanna write a side story with Natalie, because I had a dream about it and I thought it would be fun to write. Hahahahaaa. I'm glad you like Jim and Claire, I finally got them hitched, it only took 27 chapters, a life threatening situations, and a kid to do it. I totally wish Liam and Alex would be my best gay guy friends. Me and Jeck would party all night and every day. OMG, Mr. Ruffles. Aren't you glad we finally introduced him? We already have an overly gay couple, we don't need Rupert and Oliver being gay for each other too. Ryan and Anna together forever. No doubt about that home slice. Hahahahaaa, the whole parasite thing is all me. I used it for an argument in government class back in high school, and it kinda stuck. They will never let me live it down. We wanted to give Ryan a ship to make up for the fact that we ruined his life a couple of times. See, in the end we're nice to our characters. Alex will not be the God father, just the gay uncle. Hahahahaaa. I'm so glad you have come to love our story, and us as well. I personally have loved reading your reviews. It's nice to find someone who is supportive of something we put our hearts into. Lord of the Rings is AMAZING. I spent 60 bucks to buy the directors cut special edition. I LOVE IT! I love some of the Lord of the rings fan fictions on here. Shaun of the Dead is hilarious! I was watching that the other day. It has helped me perfect my Zombie plan! Star Wars is AMAZING! I grew up on the shit! Star Trek is fantastic. The Next Generation is the best series, though the Original Series is pretty amazing as well. Lord of the Rings is what I wish my writing could be like. My dad used to read them to me as a kid, now that I'm older I love it! I made Jeck sit down and watch the directors cut of the Fellowship and the Twin Towers. Hahahahaaa. I'm slightly evil. How can you not obsessed with Harry Potter? It's like… Harry Potter! I am a Pirates dork. Like, you have no idea how excited I am for the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I'm going to drag Jeck to that one too. Hahahahaaa. It's okay to be geeks, geeks have major fun! Without Drugs! Yay for cupcakes! And I guess I'll deal with the hugs, if it's with you and Jeck! Thank you for your support hun._  
_P.S. My favorite part of the movie was when everyone was transforming into Harry. Oh, and when Ron is like "Oh no, my wife is all alone in the interrogation room downstairs." And Harry goes: "Ron, you don't have a wife." "Oh, right…" I actually like that whole scene really._

_**nickiR0x**_  
_**Raxsah:** In no way could we write a sequel, sorry, I just don't think we have it in us. We do have a Resident Evil story, and even if you don't like it, you should read it. Hopefully the fact that the epilogue being so long will make up for the story being over. Even if you don't like our new story, we hope we eventually write one that you like and will read. It is a pleasure getting reviews from you._  
_**Jeck:** The epilogue won't be so bad, I promise. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. And all fucking amazing things must come to an end after a really long ass epilogue. Which one is this, I wonder… TRUST ME, we will keep writing. We've got this story, two side stories so far, and we're starting to work on our new Resident Evil story. I mean, zombies and sex make for a pretty good story. Well… not zombie sex. That's just my thing. :D_

_**Parallel Days**_  
_**Jeck: **I had a whole month off from school to recover from having my gallbladder out… guess what I did? Not college stuff. Mostly writing with Raxsah. :D And/or hanging out with her. And avoiding evil ex girlfriends (watch out, Scott Pilgrim, I might have you beat for the squeal :p). Wow, I feel sorry for your mom. And you, since all your new friends probably think you're a freak. But that's okay… Raxsah and I don't think you're a freak! WE'LL BE YOUR FRIENDS! Or at least I will. :D Our epilogue has lots of those happy moments. We're not evil SOBs who would kill off all the characters in the epilogue. Sadly, it happens… I ALMOST CRIED WHEN DOBBY DIED! Oh um… spoiler alert? Lol Well, for everyone who hasn't read the books/seen the movies. You should come to my emo corner, we have tool belts! :D_  
_**Raxsah:** It's funny, because when you sent that review I was at school, and I was supposed to be in my Education class, but decided to find a corner to chill in instead. The intensity was needed, after all the drama we threw at our characters, it would be out of character not to have an intense ending. There are plenty of happy moments here, and only more to come! I know, poor Fred and George, she couldn't keep the twins? Seriously? They were my favorite! We hope you enjoyed this first ending, just wait till the next one!_

_**Raxsah:** Jeck, one down, one to go, then it's over. =( that makes me sad._  
_**Jeck:** I know. But they'll be so much more in the future, you'll probably forget about this story._  
_**Raxsah:** This is truth, I'll just have to distract myself with cheesecake. Yum, cheesecake._  
_**Jeck: **I keep hearing promises of cheesecake and yet there is no cheesecake here! D:_  
_**Raxsah: **It's upstairs in the fridge. There is a whole flight of stairs. I kinda want coffee too… but that would not be smart. As soon as we're done this we will go for the cheesecake, I promise!_  
_**Jeck:** Good, because I'm still hungry. That pizza sitting there is tempting… oh wait, we were talking about a story, weren't we?_  
_**Raxsah: **Probably. I think we should wrap this up, because as much as I love talking about the end of the story, this is not the end. And Cheesecake is right here, right now. Where as the end is postponed till next week. But everyone should review to make us happy, because we like reviews._  
_**Jeck:** Yes, yes we do. And we like cheesecake. So if you figure out how to send us cheesecake via review, I will rape you. :D Just the way you like it!_  
_**Raxsah:** It's not rape if you giggle! (Warning: In NO WAY WHAT-SO-EVER do I condone rape. NOT ONE BIT!) But seriously, it's not rape if you giggle._  
_**Jeck:** It's not rape if I do it to you, either. No doesn't work anymore. Anyway, we'll rape this up. Lol I said rape instead of wrap. :D_  
_**Raxsah:** So easily amused. Anyway, Thanks everyone who is sticking with us. One more to go and then onto bigger and better things. Till next week lovelies._  
_**Jeck:** ZOMBIE SEX FACE!_

_P.S. This chapter took us four hours to post... thank you Facebook._


	29. Epilogue Part 2: At The Beginning

_**Raxsah: **__Oh snaps, when's the last time we was on fan-fiction?  
__**Jeck: **__Ummm, before finals? And before I went back to college?  
__**Raxsah: **__Ugh, Finals suck. But yeah. We know you guys have been waiting forever for this…. But I can't say I'm totally sorry that we made you wait. We was busy as shit!  
__**Jeck**__: And it prolonged the ending of our great story sage. There will be more, just not of this particular story. Well, unless you win our contests.  
__**Raxsah: **__Or unless we get So bored that we wanna write something else like this. Chances of that happening… slim to none. Don't hold your breath.  
__**Jeck: **__We enjoyed it while it lasted, but it's over now. Like good sex.  
__**Raxsah**__: After a while you just get tired of it and you need to find something better.  
__**Jeck: **__Anyway, let's wrap this thing up, shall we?  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes, enjoy this last (No, we're legit, it's totally the last chapter now) of Beyond the Sun_

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* * *

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Epilogue Part 2: At The Beginning

* * *

Jim walked into sickbay and grimaced at the sight of Alex and Liam sucking face.

"You guys have been married for a little over a year, you'd think you'd be done sucking face," he muttered. Alex pulled away and began to head back to work. Liam gave a heavy sigh before turning back to Jim.

"What do you want? You totally ruined my evening," he muttered.

"I'm here to see my wife, have you seen her?" he asked.

"With a patient, surprisingly she's doing better." Jim smiled and watched as Claire pushed back a curtain and walked toward the medical station. Jim smiled at her and looked down at the small baby-bump she was showing. She was coming up on four months pregnant, though, she looked a lot bigger than he remembered her being with Natalie. Claire said that it was typical, women who went through more than one pregnancy had a tendency to show earlier.

"Hey, sweetie," she said, leaning over and kissing him. Jim kissed her back before pulling away and kissing her forehead.

"Hey, baby… how you feeling?" he asked.

"Better, I don't want to kill you anymore," she confessed. He chuckled and pulled her into a hug. The first couple of months had been extremely difficult, if it was possible, her morning sickness was worse than it was with Natalie. That's how Claire knew she was pregnant. Sadly, she told Jim in the morning, and after he had hugged her tight and practically picked her up and swung her around, she spent the next few hours in the bathroom.

"Here, we should get the ultrasound done. You ready?" Alex asked. Claire nodded and looked at Jim.

"You mind?" she asked. Jim nodded and followed her and Alex into a back room, where the ultrasound was.

"So, how has your pregnancy been so far?" Alex asked, getting everything set up.

"Fine, the symptoms are a little worse than usual, but I figured that might just be karma's way of fucking with me," Claire said, laying down on the bed. Jim sat next to her and kissed her hand.

"I love you," he told her.

"You better," she muttered. Alex rolled his eyes and lifted Claire's shirt up. She gave him a hand a jumped when he put some of the jelly on her stomach.

"Well, it might just be a tough pregnancy, but we'll monitor it carefully…" he paused and typed a few things into the computer. Claire tried to turn to see the monitor, but gave up and just laid back.

"Will you be able to tell if it's a boy or girl?" Jim asked.

"Possibly, it's kind of hard to say. Let me just find your heartbeat…" After a minute, Claire's heart beat was heard and then disappeared as Alex moved the device across her stomach. He eventually found a faster heartbeat, but then suddenly paused. After a minute, Claire froze too and looked at him.

"Alex… that heart beat is way too fast," she told him.

"No… it's not," Alex replied. Jim raised an eyebrow and looked at the two of them.

"What's wrong? Is the baby sick?" he asked. Alex took a deep breath and typed a few things on the computer.

"Nope, both heartbeats are strong…" Alex replied. Claire's jaw dropped and she seemed as if she was in shock. Jim just gave them a confused look. He knew nothing about medicine, and he sure as hell knew nothing about pregnancy, except that it made women crazy and sick.

"Isn't that good? The baby and her heartbeat?" Alex sighed and turned the monitor.

"You see this? This is a baby's head," He said, pointing it out.

"Okay?" Jim said, nodding. He hated being talked to like he was an idiot. Alex gave a small nod and moved his hand so he was pointing to something else.

"And this… is a baby's head as well," he stated. Jim looked at the screen before looking at Alex, his eyes wide.

"Twins?" he asked. Claire put a hand over her mouth and took a deep breath.

"Oh my god…" she muttered.

"Congratulations… from what I can tell, they seemed to be identical. I can't tell the sex of the babies yet though." Jim ran a hand over his face and took a deep breath. He was ecstatic that he was having another kid, however, he was only expecting one. Claire, was in complete shock. Of course she was happy that she was having another child, but twins?

"Wow…" Jim muttered.

"Claire, you still alive?" Alex asked.

"I'm… shocked. I mean… I'm happy but… twins?" she asked softly.

"It's not a bad thing, just not what you expected," Alex explained. Claire nodded and grabbed a tissue to wipe the jelly off her stomach.

"I know, I know. I'm happy, or I will be once I process this." She turned to Jim who was looking at the screen. "Are you happy?" she asked. He looked at her and smiled before taking her hand in his.

"I am happy, just shocked, like you. We're going to have twins," he said. She nodded and kissed him lightly before turning to Alex.

"I want a Caesarean section, I am not having twins naturally," she told him.

"Alright, I'll put in the request. However, you know how babies work, they come when they want, how they want." Claire rolled her eyes and stood up, rolling down her shirt and turning toward her husband.

"So… dinner?" she asked. He nodded and leaned down to kiss her.

"Definitely."

* * *

"So that brings the total up to six now, doesn't it?" Dr. Doyle asked with a smile as he showed Ryan and Anna their twins.

"We're having twins?" Anna asked for what felt like the millionth time. Twins were very rare in her family and she hadn't even considered the possibility of having twins herself.

"Somehow I should have seen this coming…" Ryan mumbled, but smiled. If they were having twins, that would be double the chance of him having a boy!

"It appears as if they're identical twins too, but it's too early to tell what gender they are. Are twins common in your family, Captain?" The doctor asked. Ryan nodded.

"Claire and I have three sets of identical twin cousins. They seem to run in the family, so to speak," he said with a chuckle, but Anna shot him a glare.

"Don't you think five was going to be enough?" She hissed. Ryan shrugged.

"I wasn't thinking. We hadn't had any twins so far, and I wasn't thinking, I suppose," he said bashfully. Anna continued to glare.

"We'll talk about this later. Thank you, Dr. Doyle," Anna said as he removed the ultrasound machine and smiled.

"Don't go too hard on him, Anna. You both wanted a boat load of kids, so here's another opportunity for you," he said, trying to come to Ryan's defense. Ryan smiled, in hopes that his wife would listen to the doctor, but she merely sighed.

"I know, but two more kids at once is big. I feel bad enough that the girls are starting to get jealous of each other," she admitted, giving Ryan a sad look. He nodded and sat down next to his wife.

"Anna, if it comes to it, I'm willing to step down as captain of the Ivory to raise these kids with you full time. You and the kids are my everything," he told her, planting a kiss on her forehead.

"That's true love if I ever heard it," Dr. Doyle said, wiping away the ultrasound goo from Anna's stomach.

"Don't you have other patients?" Anna snapped. He held his hands up in defense and left the couple alone.

"Anna-"

"I don't want you to step down from the Ivory. We'll work this out. We always do…" he sighed and kissed her forehead.

"I guess we better start picking out names."

* * *

"We've opened a channel to the Enterprise," Dr. Doyle said, positioning a computer screen next to Anna's bed. Anna looked less than thrilled as she lay in bed, but Ryan was completely ecstatic.

"Ryan? Anna?" The face of Alex popped up on the other side of the computer.

"Hey! How's Claire?" Ryan asked, scooting closer to the screen, but still holding onto his wife's hand.

"She's been in labor now for five hours," he said, redirecting the camera on his end to point towards Claire and Jim.

"That's not too bad. Anna's only been in labor for four," he said, sparing his wife an excited glance. She rolled her eyes as Dr. Doyle smiled.

"Just stay calm and relaxed," he warned her. Anna nodded and sighed.

"We've been through this four times now, I think I know the drill," she mumbled. Dr. Doyle nodded.

"Your girls are out in the waiting room with Oliver and Rupert now," he informed her. She nodded.

"Well, I'm glad she's in good hands."

"How are you holding up?" Claire asked from over the computer. Anna turned and gave her a weak smile.

"Ready to pop out the fifth and sixth," she said. Ryan got up from his chair and moved to sit next to his wife.

"How about you, Claire-bear?" He asked. Jim and Natalie sat next to his sister, Natalie licking an ice cream cone.

"I thought I was done with one, but ready to go again," she said, ruffling her daughter's hair. Natalie scrunched her nose, but smiled into her ice cream. A thin layer of the frozen vanilla cream coated her mouth.

"She's amazing, isn't she?" Jim said, turning and smiling at his wife. For the past eight months, Jim had been there almost every minute to be there for his wife. The fact that she agreed to have one more kid still made him so excited. When they found out they were having twins, he had been nervous, but still excited. Natalie was old enough to pretty much be left alone, she only required being looked after so she stayed out of trouble, and being fed and all that. She was very excited for the prospect of either brothers or sisters. Jim just smiled and took his wife's hand. The possibility for a son was still there, and he couldn't be more excited..

"Most definitely, but you've got to give Anna props here. Six kids?" Ryan pointed out. Anna pinched his arm.

"We're only having these kids for you two. You both wanted boys, so this is your last shot at it," she snapped. Claire nodded.

"Fuck yeah, you think I'm having another kid after this, you are sorely mistaken. This fucking sucks," she muttered. Natalie's eyes went wide and Liam covered her ears, making sure she only caught a fraction of what her mother was saying.

"I hate to break this up, but we're going to have to start prepping," Doctor McCoy said. Anna nodded and smiled at her in-laws.

"We'll call you after?" she asked. Claire nodded and cringed when she felt a large contraction.

"FUCK!" she hissed. Again, Natalie's ears were covered and Jim frowned. Ryan also flinched but knew that he had to pay attention to his wife.

"Good luck," Ryan said. Jim nodded.

"You too…" the screen turned off and McCoy turned to Claire.

"Claire, there is a problem," he said. Jim and Claire both looked a little worried.

"What's wrong? Are they okay?" she asked.

"They are fine, but we aren't able to put you into surgery. Doctor Giles apparently threw a party the night before and the whole place is contaminated. You're going to have to give birth naturally." Claire's eyes went wide and turned to Spike, who was holding her chart.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" she hissed.

"I'm-"

"Get out, please… take Natalie with you," Jim said. He set his daughter on the floor and she looked up at him.

"I want to stay with mommy," she protested.

"Mommy needs you out in the waiting room, that way Uncle Bones can take the babies out. You don't want to see all those blood and guts, do you?" Natalie shrugged.

"It's just blood." Jim sighed and shook his head, sometimes he really didn't understand his daughter.

"Come on, Nat… let's go find Rocky and put some peanut butter on his nose," Liam suggest. Natalie giggled, probably from remembering the last time she had tired that.

"Okay!" Claire sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"I hope Anna is doing better than I am," she muttered.

* * *

"Ow, that one kind of hurt," Anna hissed as she scrunched her face up. Ryan looked up from his book.

"Jeez, this is like nothing for you now, isn't it?" He asked. Anna rolled her eyes.

"The beginning contractions aren't so bad. It still hurts like a bitch pushing a baby out. I can only imagine how bad it's going to hurt pushing two out in a row," she mumbled. Ryan nodded.

"At least you're not having triplets or quadruplets," he told her, trying to be positive. She shot him a glare, which he was slowly starting to get used to.

"Triplets common in your family?" She asked, her words like venom dripping from her mouth.

"Not common… but there was our cousins Greg, Josh, and Steve. That's it though," he said, trying to remember if there were anymore triplets in their family.

"Jesus Christ…"

"How are those contractions?" Doyle asked as he reentered the room.

"Just fucking fantastic, Dr. Dumbass," Anna snapped, startling both Dr. Doyle and Ryan.

"Man, I'm really glad the girls are with Rupert and Oliver right now…" Ryan mumbled.

"Shut the fuck up, all this is your fault!" she hissed.

"We're going to do an ultrasound and make sure the baby's are in a good position, okay?" Doyle muttered.

"Good position? What might be wrong with them?" Ryan asked.

"Sometimes one twin doesn't turn, while the other does. Nothing to worry about, we'll take care of it." Anna nodded and took a hold of her husbands hand.

"Ryan…" she said softly.

"It'll be fine… I'm here." She nodded and squeezed his hand when another contraction hit.

"These kids better come soon, or I might have to kill you."

"Good to know."

* * *

Claire let out a loud scream as a strong contraction hit her. Sixteen hours of labor and she was ready to shoot someone. She looked around the room at the small group of people who had accumulated. Spike had come in to help Doctor McCoy, while Liam left to watch Natalie.

"Alright, Chambers and I will deliver the children, since they will be delivered naturally." Claire nodded and looked over at Spike, who was looking over her chart.

"Get the fuck out of here! There was a reason I kick you out!" she snapped.

"Claire, I'm a doctor. I've never witnessed a childbirth, it's a learning experience." Claire grabbed a plastic cup off the table and chucked it at him.

"Get out! I don't want you seeing anything below my waist!" she hissed. He rolled his eyes.

"Please, everyone in this room has seen what's below your waist at one point or another, why am I excluded?" he asked. The room turned silent before Jim stood up and glared at him.

"Just leave," he snapped. Spike paused before leaving the room. Claire sighed but let out another yell when a contraction hit her.

"I'd say a few more minutes and we'll be ready to push." Claire gave a frustrated sigh and fell back on the bed.

"Can I just push the little beasts out now?" She mumbled.

* * *

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT!" Anna cried out, tilting her head back as another contraction shot through her whole body. Ryan flinched as the death grip on his hand increased tenfold.

"Come on, honey. You're doing good. Just stay calm," he said, trying to soothe his wife. Anna yanked his arm and pulled him so he was practically nose to nose with her.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FUCKING FAULT!" She bellowed. Ryan cringed, but nodded.

"Of course it is, baby. You're doing great!" He said, ignoring her harsh comment. He'd been through the verbal abuse four times now and he was used to it. Besides, the moment they got to stare down at their babies, he knew it was going to be worth it.

"Okay Anna, I need you to start pushing now," Doyle instructed as he placed himself in front of Anna. He hated to say it, but it was becoming a familiar spot.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I'VE BEEN DOING? GET THESE BRATS OUT OF MY WOMB!" Dr. Doyle ignored her and waited for the first baby's head. Anna gave a loud yell and gripped her husbands hand. Ryan held back the small cry of pain and watched as Doctor Doyle took hold of a small baby and handing it to the nurse.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's a girl. Congratulations, you have two baby girls," he said. Ryan tried not to groan in protest and turned back to his wife.

"Come on, just one more. You're doing great," he said. Anna shot him a nasty look.

"You shut the fuck up! I am about two minutes from ripping your balls off!" she hissed. Doctor Doyle looked over as the nurse brought the first girl over to the parents.

"Do you have a name?" she asked.

"Erin Katherine Conaway," Ryan said, smiling down at the small baby girl. Anna smiled as well and lightly traced her cheek with her finger.

"Hi Erin…" The nurse smiled and took the girl away to clean her up. A couple minutes passed before Doctor Doyle looked back up at them.

"Okay, we're ready for the next one." She nodded and pushed when she felt another contraction.

"AHHH, I HATE FOR THIS, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Anna screamed. Ryan frowned and just squeezed her hand back.

"I know, babe. I'm horrible. I'm going to rot in hell for this," he muttered.

"DAMN FUCKING RIGHT YOU ARE! AHHHHHHHHHH!" a loud scream entered the room, and Doctor Doyle smiled at them.

"Girl number six! You have a name?" he asked, handing her over to a nurse.

"Jessica Sarah Conaway," Anna replied, smiling at her daughter. Ryan nodded and let the nurse take her with her twin sister. After a minute he turned toward Anna and gave her a kiss.

"They are beautiful," he whispered. She frowned.

"Ryan…" He shook his head and wiped a few strands of sweaty hair out of her face.

"They are perfect… thank you for giving them to me." Anna nodded and watched as the nurses brought the two of them in, placing on in each of their parents arms. Anna smiled down at her oldest daughter, checking the small bracelet before turning back to her husband. Ryan smiled down at their youngest and caressed her cheek.

"Well, this will be interesting," he confessed.

"How will tell them apart?" she asked. Ryan paused before looking over them and shrugging.

"I honestly have no clue."

"Awesome."

* * *

"Okay, I can see the head now," McCoy said as he crouched above Claire's exposed vagina. Jim wanted to smile, it was such a beautiful moment, but he found it hard to do with both of Claire's hands squeezing the life out of his arm.

"WELL RIP THE LITTLE BUGGER OUT OF THERE!" She wailed. Jim scrunched up his face as Claire's nails pierced the skin, but he reminded himself that it would all be worth it.

"PUSH CLAIRE!" Alex said, watching from over McCoy's shoulder. Claire glared at him, flames practically forming in her eyes.

"AND WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, JUST STANDING THERE?" She shot. Alex glared back.

"A lot more than you're doing, just sitting there and not doing anything. Didn't we tell you to push?" Alex said with a sneer. McCoy and Jim both turned to face him, surprised at what he said. Claire froze a moment, Alex's words sinking in.

"You… YOU!" The death grip was released from Jim's arm as Claire began to try to push herself up from the bed, trying to get to Alex. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"Alex, please leave and bring in Nurse Chapel," McCoy instructed. Alex left and pretty soon nurse Chapel came in.

"Come on, just one more push and the first one is out."

"I HATE YOU ALL!" Claire shouted. She grabbed a hold of Jim's shirt and pulled him closer.

"Claire-"

"When this is over, I am going to rip off your balls and then kill you!" she hissed. Jim went to reply, but stopped when he saw McCoy take hold of a small child and hand it to nurse Chapel. Claire also paused and looked over, her eyebrows furrowing when she didn't hear it crying.

"Bones…" Jim said.

"He's breathing, we just need to make sure he can cry," Chapel said. Claire frowned and looked at McCoy.

"He needs to be alright, he needs to cry! McCoy!" she cried.

"The baby is breathing so he's fine for now. We need to worry about the other one." Claire felt tears weld up in her eyes. Despite what he said, she wouldn't believe he was breathing until he was crying. A couple long minutes later, and Claire felt another contraction.

"AGH! SHIT!" she hissed. Jim grabbed her hand but looked over to where Chapel was, and frowned when Liam came in.

"I got paged," he said.

"I'm going to need someone to clean up baby number two." Liam nodded and looked at Claire.

"Come on, the baby is coming!" he said.

"I KNOW IT'S COMING! YOU THINK I CAN'T FEEL THAT SHIT?" she snapped. Liam flinched then turned back to Jim.

"I am so sorry for you," he said.

"Thanks," he muttered. Claire screamed again and grabbed Jim's arm.

"I HATE YOU FOR MAKING ME DO THIS!" she cried. Jim frowned.

"I'm sorry, baby. You said-"

"And you believed me you jackass, I hate being- HOLY SHIT!" she cried. A second later, the sound of a baby cried entered the room, followed by one from where Nurse Chapel was. Claire gave a sigh of relief and fell onto the bed.

"Thank God," she muttered.

"Aww, he was waiting for his brother," Liam said, smiling at the small boy that McCoy placed in his arms.

"Brother?" Jim asked, as if it just occurred to him that McCoy referred to the child as 'He'.

"Yeah, looks like you got twin boys," McCoy said, removing his sterile gloves. Claire smiled as Chapel and Liam left to clean up the babies. Jim forced himself not to jump for joy as Claire settled next to him.

"Are you happy now?" She asked in a weak voice. Jim smiled and placed a gentle kiss on Claire's sweaty brow.

"We could have had twin girls and I would have been happy, baby. It's just a nice little bonus that you just gave birth to two boys," he told her, sliding onto the bed next to her. McCoy forced himself to hide a smile, not wanting to get too emotional.

"Well, congratulations. Nurse Chapel and Liam will bring the boys in shortly. Do you two have some names?" He asked, grabbing a long forgotten chart from off a nearby table.

"Jim was ready with boy names even before I was pregnant," Claire mumbled, but smiled at the memory.

"What do you have in mind for the older boy?" He asked. Jim's smile seemed to grow at the word 'boy'.

"Ethan Tiberius Kirk," he said proudly. McCoy nodded and jotted the name down.

"And the other one?"

"Aiden Matthew Kirk," Claire said before Jim had a chance to.

"But I thought we were going to name him-" Claire cut Jim off before he could finish.

"You picked one, I picked one," she said happily. He sighed but didn't argue. She had just given birth to two baby boys, he wasn't going to cause any trouble, especially since she hadn't want to get pregnant in the first place.

"Thank you," he whispered. Claire smiled and nodded.

"Of course." A second later, Chapel and Liam entered the room, each holding a baby. Chapel placed the oldest boy in Jim's arms, but he wouldn't have known that if it wasn't for the small bracelet on his wrist. Claire took a hold of her youngest child, and smiled. His hair was a light blonde like hers. His eyes were closed and he looked as though he was sleeping, while the other boy was looking all over the room.

"It looks like this one has a small birthmark behind his right ear," Jim told her. Claire took a look behind Aiden's ears and looked back at Ethan.

"Aiden has a one on the other ear. I guess that's how we tell them apart." Jim nodded and looked up as Alex opened the door.

"Natalie wants to see her baby brothers," he said. Claire nodded and they watched as their daughter ran into the room and climbed up on the bed.

"Be careful, mommy is still recovering," Jim warned. Natalie nodded and sat in between her parents, looking at both the boys.

"They are so small, when can we play?" she asked.

"Not for a while sweetie… they have to grow up big and strong before they can play." Natalie nodded and looked at Aiden.

"Can I hold him?" she asked. Claire frowned and shook her head.

"He's a bit too young, when he's a bit older you can hold him."

"Man, I can't do anything with them…" she muttered. Jim chuckled and wrapped an arm around her, making sure the other arm securely held the baby.

"That's just because they were just born. When they get older you can do everything with them." She smiled and leaned over to kiss her brothers nose. She then moved out of her dad's arms and kissed Aiden on his forehead.

"I will be the best big sister ever," she said. Claire smiled and kissed her daughter.

"Of course." Liam and Alex glanced at the scene in front of them, smiling as the family of five began to bond.

"I want one…" Liam said.

"One what?" Alex asked.

"A baby." Alex shrugged.

"Maybe Claire can give us one of hers. Push comes to shove, we can always ask Ryan." Liam smacked his husbands shoulder and shook his head.

"No, I want one of OURS. I want us to have a baby." Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Okay… but I don't want to be pregnant."

* * *

"So how's having a kid working for you?" Claire asked as Liam studied over some of his notes. She held Aiden in her arms, Ethan with his dad for the day.

"We were pretty focused a few months ago, but I'm getting back into my work and Alex has been a bit cold towards me, so I'm not pushing it," he said without looking up from his notes. Claire switched little Aiden to her other arm as she pulled up a chair and sat next to her gay best friend.

"So I take it that sex is rare these days?" She asked. Liam looked up.

"I love how you talk about sex around your three month child," he pointed out.

"So no sex then?" She asked again.

"I never said that. It's just silent sex," he said, returning his eyes back to the papers before him.

"Silent treatment, that's nice," she said, smoothing the light blonde hair back on her son's head.

"Once I finish this, I'm hoping things will sort of go back to normal," he admitted, not looking up as he reread the same sentence for the tenth time.

"You know, for such a close couple, you both have a horrible time with communication." Liam rolled his eyes and looked down at Aiden, who was looking back up at his with big blue eyes.

"I want a baby, real bad. I want to be a dad, but with this new drug I'm working on, we haven't had time to think about it."

"How is that going, by the way?"

"I'm almost done, I just need to test it on an actual person and then send it to Starfleet," he said. Claire nodded and smiled.

"Awesome, maybe they'll even promote you to commander and just jump ranks," she muttered.

"That would be nice. Though, it will mess up Alex and I playing commander and lieutenant. I kind of like him taking control." Claire raised an eyebrow.

"How does that work if you two are being silent? Does he just spank you?" she asked, a small smile on her lips. Aiden gave a small cry and Claire bounced him.

"No, he has a whip for that." Claire flinched and shook her head.

"God, you guys like it rough," she muttered.

"You've never done anything like that with Jim?" Liam asked. He began looking at the chemical compounds in his drug and typed a few things out.

"Sure, way back when before Natalie. Now if we can have sex it's quick so we can get back to the kids. It's not like it used to be."

"The drawback to having kids," he muttered.

"Yeah, so don't be so quick to have them," she warned.

"Too late, already wanting one." She chuckled and stood up.

"I should go, Spock said he needed to drop Natalie off so he could get back to duty. I need to go make sure that kid stays out of trouble," she said.

"Ah yes, the little trouble maker. Your kids are so much more troublesome than Spock's kids."

"Nu-uh, Grayson was caught yesterday messing with the food generators," Claire reminded him.

"And who was right next to him, showing the young kid which buttons to push?" Liam retorted. Claire paused before giving a sigh and nodding.

"Good point. Hopefully the boys won't be as much trouble," she muttered.

"Knowing your luck, I seriously doubt it." Claire rolled her eyes and gave him a quick hug.

"I'll see you later, okay?" he nodded and watched as she left sickbay.

"Man, they be crazy over there…"

* * *

Claire walked into her house just as Spock walked to the door, Natalie and Grayson right behind them.

"Spock, I got here just in time," she said.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, but would you mind watching Grayson as well? Uhura is on duty and can not come to see him." Claire nodded and moved to the side so the kids could run past her.

"Yeah sure. Natalie, I don't want you to try and climb on the bookshelf again, do you hear me?" Claire said. Natalie rolled her eyes.

"Yes mom…"

* * *

Two hours later, Jim had returned with Ethan and dropped him off for his afternoon nap with his brother. Both twins were sound asleep in their crib while Claire watched over Natalie and Grayson.

"Mom, we're hungry!" Natalie said as her and her best friend ran up to her mom.

"Okay. And what do you want me to do about it?" Claire asked as she looked up from her medical journal.

"We were hoping that you could make us sandwiches," Natalie said with a begging smile, very similar to the smile that Claire used to use on Ryan all the time.

"Poof, you're a sandwich," she said before turning back to her book with a small smile on her face.

"Mom!" Natalie whined, causing Grayson to giggle at her behavior.

"What do you say?" Claire asked, putting the book back down.

"Can you please make us a sandwich?" Natalie asked again, this time without the sly smile.

"Good girl." Claire rose from her seat on the couch and headed towards the food generator.

"Two sandwiches?" Claire asked over her shoulder.

"Yes, please!" Grayson and Natalie said at the same time. Claire nodded.

"Computer, generate two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches," she ordered. The food began to memorize before her very eyes, though she had grown accustom to when she was a young girl. She reached out and grabbed the two plates, but a shattering sound caught her attention.

"Natalie!" Grayson cried out. Claire whirled around and felt her heart stop as she saw her baby girl trapped under the all too familiar bookcase. The two plates dropped from her hands and crashed to the floor. Her heart seemed to stop as she rushed forward and lifted the bookcase off of her. She heard Natalie cry and go to sit up, but pushed her down.

"Wait a minute, just calm down baby," Claire said, trying not to show panic in her voice. Natalie continued to cry and Claire moved all the junk off of her.

"Mommy," she cried. Claire pulled her communicator out and dialed sickbay.

"Liam, I need help in my quarters immediately," she said, cutting him off before he could reply.

"Is she going to be alright?" Grayson asked. Claire felt her pulse and began to feel her head for any tender spots.

"Natalie, what hurts baby?" Claire asked.

"My tummy," she cried. Claire frowned and lightly pressed onto her lower abdomen, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Claire, what happened?" Liam asked, kneeling down.

"She was climbing on the bookcase and then fell," Grayson said.

"The bookcase fell on top of her. We need to scan her," Claire said.

"No, I will scan her. You know McCoy's policy." Claire frowned.

"Liam, She's-"

"Claire, I'll take her to sickbay, and send Alex to watch the boys and Grayson." Claire frowned and helped Liam gather her daughter in his arms.

"Mommy," Natalie cried. Claire pressed her lips together.

"Don't worry baby, I'll be there soon."

"Make sure to call Jim and have him meet you in sickbay." Claire nodded and tried not to cry in front of her daughter.

"Okay… Liam… take care of her," she said.

"Of course." Claire took a deep breath and tried to collect herself before calling Jim, but the minute the door closed she began to cry.

"Mrs. Kirk?" Claire took a deep breath and turned to Grayson.

"I'm going to let your mom know what's going on, you're free to watch the TV." He nodded and ran off, leaving Claire alone to wait.

* * *

Claire heard the doors open and watched as her husband walked in, worry etched all over his face.

"Claire, what happened?" he asked. Claire moved forward and buried her face in his chest, trying to stop the tears.

"I'm a horrible mother. I turned around and she got herself hurt. I'm horrible, I'm going to hell," she cried. Jim wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Claire, it's alright. There was nothing you can do, she's old enough to know better. Liam just has to make her all better then we can take her home." Before Claire could reply, McCoy walked up to them, Liam close behind. Both had sullen expressions on their faces and Claire suddenly tensed.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Liam sighed and looked to McCoy, who frowned even further.

"There… is a complication…" he said softly. Claire felt her legs give out as the possibilities began to run through her head. Jim was fast to catch her and scoop her up bridal style before taking her over to the couch. Liam and McCoy were quick to follow.

"W-What kind of complication?" Claire asked nervously, trying to keep her focus on the men before her. However, the image of her daughter trapped under the bookcase wouldn't leave her mind.

"We were probing her stomach to find the source of the pain and everything seemed to check out, except some mild bruising. However, the pain was still there," Liam explained.

"We examined her farther and finally stumbled upon the source of the pain," McCoy continued. A silence fell over the room as the Kirk parents waited.

"And?" Jim asked, his voice raising slightly. McCoy paused as if to collect himself.

"She has ovarian cancer." His words were slow, but firm. Jim felt his heart drop as tears filled his wife's eyes.

"C-Cancer?" She asked, hesitantly. Liam nodded, causing Claire to choke back a sob.

"Yes, she must have just grown used to the pain. But the fall brought it to the forefront and caused her to pay attention to it," he told them, the pity clear in his eyes.

"So what can we do?" Jim asked, holding Claire close as she let the tears flow. Her baby girl…

"Well, we have a few procedures in mind, but because of her age, they're all very risky. The cancer is located in both ovaries and to keep it from spreading, we'll have to take both ovaries and continue her through some treatments to make sure it's all out and under control. After the surgery though, she'll be infertile," McCoy explained. Liam bit his lip and moved to sit next to Claire on the couch.

"We do have a new option though," he told them.

"Liam, no," McCoy snapped. Jim looked between the two doctors.

"What?" He asked.

"All my hard work was for exactly this kind of situation, Dr. McCoy," Liam countered.

"I said no, it hasn't been tested before and I'm not risking her life," McCoy said in a hostile tone of voice. Jim coughed, catching the two doctors' attention.

"Tell me what you're talking about," he demanded. McCoy turned to look at Liam.

"It's your procedure, you tell him," he ordered. Liam nodded.

"I've been working on this for years and I think I've finally perfected it. We can remove the cancerous part of her ovaries and leave a tiny bit of it left. With my new device, we'll be able to re-grow her ovaries. In time, we'll be able to re-grow the egg cells. She'll still have to go through some of the after treatments, but if there's new ovary growing in place of the old one, there's a higher chance of everything working the way it should be," Liam explained, trying to touch upon all the vital topics. Jim listened intently as Claire lifted her head out of her husband's chest. Her face was red and her eyes were tear soaked, but she gave him a weak smile.

"Liam, I trust you to take care of my daughter. If you're sure this will work… then I want you to do it," she said. Jim nodded.

"I trust you too. Although next time, Claire and I will take about this decision together," he said, his last words directed towards his wife. Claire gave him a sad smile and turned back to McCoy and Liam.

"Please, just do whatever you can to keep my daughter safe," she pleaded. Liam nodded and looked toward McCoy.

"Let's get it started."

* * *

Jim and Claire sat in sickbay, watching the surgery door. Jim had left to check on the boys, but Claire refused to leave. When he came back, he found her fast asleep on the couch, her face etched with worry. The moment he stepped in she woke up and began to apologize for falling asleep. Jim just sighed and sat next to her, pulling her closer. He was worried as well, but with the state his wife, he couldn't break down. After a few hours, the doors opened and Liam walked up to them. Claire stood up immediately and looked at him.

"We got all the cancer, and the treatment took, we can tell that her ovaries are starting to regenerate. It might take a bit longer for her actual eggs to grow, but it should work." Claire paused for a minute, feeling tears flowing down her cheeks, before moving forward and hugging the man, not caring that he had a bit of blood on his uniform.

"Thank you, thank you," She cried. Liam hugged her back and looked at Jim, who looked relieved beyond reason.

"She should be out in a few minutes, she'll have to stay in bed for a bit but everything went well," Liam said, pulling away. Claire nodded and wiped her eyes before turning to Jim, who pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you," he said. Liam nodded and went back into the room, emerging when he and McCoy rolled her bed out and placed her in a room. Claire was in there immediately, and she took a hold of her baby's hand.

"Natalie, sweetie…" she whispered. Natalie's eyes fluttered open and she looked up at her mother.

"Mommy," she said softly. Clair sighed in relief and moved forward, placing her lips on her daughters forehead. Jim walked over and kissed his daughters cheek.

"How you feeling, princess?" he asked.

"Sore, but it doesn't hurt as much as before," she said. Claire nodded and laid in the bed next to her, gently pulling her close to her.

"I love you," she whispered. Jim sat on the bed and smiled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think I would fall off the shelf. I didn't mean to make you mad mommy," Natalie said. Claire gave a small chuckled and kissed her.

"I know, I know. It's okay," she whispered.

"We're not mad Natalie… just… don't do that again, okay?" he asked. She nodded smiled softly.

"Okay." Claire sighed and pulled her daughter closer.

"Honestly, Nat, if you hadn't fallen off the bookcase, we would have never known about the problem in your belly," she told her daughter. Natalie's eyes went wide.

"A problem?" Claire nodded.

"Yes, but your Uncle Liam made it all better," she said, soothing her daughter.

"You should tell daddy that Uncle Liam is good for more than a good fashion sense. That's what he tells Mr. Spock," she said. Claire sent her husband a questioning look, but he just shrugged.

"Well, Uncle Liam does have a good fashion sense…"

* * *

"How's my niece doing?" Ryan asked from his link on the Ivory. Claire smiled.

"She's doing a lot better now. Liam checked her out and said the ovaries are completely regrown and a few of her eggs have begun to grow back," she explained, a relieved look on her face. Ryan smiled.

"She's a trooper alright. Any side effects?" He asked. Claire shrugged.

"Mild abdominal discomfort, right now. Liam said she might start menstruation early though," she told him.

"Well that's not too bad, at least. It's better than the alternative," Ryan said, remembering the alternative treatments that his sister had told him right after the surgery.

"Yeah, and Liam was finally able to publish his new treatment now that he's had a success human patient," Claire told him excited.

"That's pretty awesome! He's been working on it so long now, it's good that he's finally going to get recognized for all his hard work," he said happily. Claire nodded.

"He's supposed to get some kind of an award in a few weeks from Starfleet. Think you and Anna can attend?" Claire asked. Ryan paused to think about it.

"Yeah, we should be relatively good to Earth so we'll try to make it," he said.

"So how are the twins?" She asked. Ryan sighed.

"I love my daughters, but these two are worrying us sick. Erin currently has an ear infection and Jessica has a cold. So of course, none of the girls can go near them and Anna and I have to give them almost all our time. Rupert is practically living here with us, helping use take care of everyone," Ryan told her, pinching the bridge of his nose. The stress was killing him, but he promised Anna that he was going to do whatever he could to take care of his daughters.

"Sounds like a handful," Claire said, wishing there was something she could do. She hated to see her brother so stressed out, but it was his decisions that had lead him to this point.

"How are your _boys_?" He asked, emphasizing the word boys. Claire shrugged.

"They're not so bad. Usually when they start crying, we just have to put them next to each other. They seemed calmed by each other's presence," she informed him. Ryan nodded.

"Sometimes we can do that with Erin and Jessica, but they have a tendency to scare each other when they start crying," he said, looking over his shoulder as two cries echoed through the room.

"Your daughters seem to be calling," Claire said, noticing the noise.

"I wish we could talk more, but I've got to go. I sent Natalie a get well gift, so I hope she gets it soon," Ryan said. Claire smiled.

"Thanks, I'm sure she'll love it. Well, don't keep the twins waiting. Love you, Ry," Claire said before Ryan waved.

"Yeah, take care. Love you too, Claire-Bear."

* * *

Claire walked up to her friends, furrowing her eyebrows when she heard them whispering.

"You have to tell her," Liam hissed.

"Why do I have to tell her?" Alex asked.

"She's your best friend, you need to tell Claire." Claire furrowed her eyebrows and walked up next to Alex.

"What's going on guys?" she asked. Liam looked at Alex and Alex rubbed the back of his head.

"Um… well…"

"Starfleet offered me a teaching job… and promoted me to Commander," Liam said. Claire smiled and hugged him.

"That's awesome! Congrats Liam…" he smiled and turned to Alex, who was still looking guilty.

"Alex…" Claire furrowed her eyebrows.

"What's going on? This should be awesome, right?" she asked. Alex nodded.

"Yeah, Liam accepted the job and he's moving back to earth." Claire frowned.

"So… what you're staying here?" he sighed and shook his head.

"No, I'm moving back to earth. We contacted an agency, and we're going to start a family… we didn't want to start it on the ship. I got a job at the Starfleet sickbay as one of the head doctors right next to the CMO, and… we're settling down." Claire paused as she took in the information. Sure she was happy for her friends, but the realization that they were leaving her was hard.

"Wow… so… I'm pretty much the last person of our little group to stay on the Enterprise," she muttered. Liam nodded and Alex sighed.

"We wanted to let you know earlier, right after he got the offer, but with everything going on with Natalie, and you raising the boys… it's been tough. We're staying after the ceremony tomorrow." Claire took a deep breath and smiled up at the two of them.

"I'm happy for you guys… a little disappointed… but happy. I'm going to miss you guys like crazy," she confessed. Alex smiled and hugged her.

"I'm sorry Claire, I should have told you earlier."

"No, no. I'm happy for you. You guys are starting a family soon. You'll have to call and send me pictures of the kiddies," she said, smiling widely. Alex sighed and nodded.

"Of course… we'll call you the minute it happens," Liam said. Claire nodded and looked at the two men in front of her.

"I love you guys," she said.

"We love you too."

* * *

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ARE PUTTING ME THROUGH THIS AGAIN YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Anna snapped. Ryan frowned and held onto his wife's hand. This time, neither of them had planned to be in this position again. After the birth of their twins, they were both agreed on not having anymore children. Yet here they were, giving birth to another set of twins. Anna was furious at first, but eventually calmed down and was happy. Ryan, though happy, was just exhausted. The doctor looked up at the couple, and hoped this was the last time he had to go through this.

"Alright Anna, one more push and-"

"The baby is out, believe me, we know the drill," Ryan confessed. Anna gave a loud scream and gripped her husbands hand.

"I hate you! I hate you! I. Hate. You! I FUCKING HATE YOU!" Anna screamed. A few seconds later, crying was heard and the doctor handed a baby to the nurse.

"Congratulations, you have another baby girl." Ryan gave a frustrated groan but turned to his wife and smiled.

"A baby girl," he said softly.

"Name?" Anna looked at her daughter and smiled.

"Carmen Carolyn Conaway," she replied. The nurse nodded and took her away to get cleaned, while Ryan and Anna waited for the next baby to be born.

"Alright, when you feel another one… you know what to do," Doyle muttered. Anna began to push and glared at her husband.

"YOU ARE SO GETTING A VASECTOMY WHEN THIS IS OVER!" she hissed.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Ryan said. Boy or not, he was not having any more children. Eight was just way too much.

"Almost there Anna," Doyle said.

"_Por qué estoy de acuerdo en tener tantos niños? Estos niños son lentamente me está matando! Y todo es tu culpa, idiota! Usted me hizo esto! Tú eres la razón por la que nunca conseguirá mi figura! Espero que estés feliz!_" Ryan just cringed, knowing that some of those words were directed toward him.

"One more kid, baby, then we will never go through this again," he assured her.

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID LAST TIME! AHHHHH!" Ryan glanced over as the Doctor held his eighth child, and saw him give a small smile as the baby began to cry.

"Congratulations, you finally have a baby boy," he said. Ryan gave a sigh of relief and tears fell from his eyes. Finally, after seven girls, he finally had his son. He immediately kissed his wife deeply and watched as a few of her own tears fell down her cheeks.

"Thank you, I love you," he said. She smiled and kissed him once again.

"You have a name for your son?" he asked.

"Tyler James Conaway," Ryan said. The doctor nodded and Anna looked up at her husband.

"James? I thought we were going with Samuel?" she asked.

"I know, but… James sounds better. And believe it or not, without Jim we wouldn't be together." Anna smiled and nodded.

"Tyler James Conaway it is then," she agreed.

"Just… don't tell Jim I said that, it'd go to his head," he said softly. She nodded and smiled.

"Your secret is safe with me."

* * *

"You're lost," Anna snapped as she watched her husband pause and double check his directions.

"We're not lost, I just seemed to have missed a street sign or two," Ryan mumbled.

"Dad, please just ask someone for directions," Terra pleaded from the backseat. Ryan twitched and sighed.

"How about this; Almira, call one of your sisters and ask for directions," he said. Almira sighed.

"I can't dad, you took away my phone for taking the Ivory on a joyride," she mumbled. Anna sighed.

"Your father was supposed to give you back your phone before we left the ship," she said, her statement directed towards her husband. Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Erin? Jessica?" But he was met with silence.

"They're asleep," Terra said, turning around and watching her fourteen year old sisters resting against each other.

"Carmen? Tyler?" He tried again.

"Carmen is playing her Nintendo GZ and Tyler is on his laptop," Terra said. Anna sighed and turned around.

"Terra, call Haley," she ordered. Terra nodded.

"Yes mom!" Anna turned to look at her husband.

"You're a wreck when you drive," she teased. Ryan chuckled.

"I hate driving."

* * *

"Liam? Where's the charcoal?" Alex asked. Liam looked up from his devilled eggs to see his husband in a 'Kiss the Cook' apron.

"Conner was using it for one of his science experiments," Liam said, turning back to his eggs.

"CONNOR!" Alex waited until the familiar mop of shaggy brown hair popped into vision. The twelve year old looked up into his father's eyes, his glasses hanging on the edge of his nose.

"Yeah dad?" He asked, pushing up his black round rimmed glasses. Alex folded his arms and stared his son down.

"Where's the charcoal?" He asked. Connor's eyes went wide.

"Um… I don't know. Did you asked Michelle?" He asked. Liam turned around.

"I already told him that you took it," he said in a scolding tone. Connor sighed.

"I used it all up," he mumbled, looking down at the floor. Alex ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Fine. You're going to help papa with dinner until the Conaways and the Kirks get here. MICHELLE!" He called out. A few seconds later, an eight year old with middle length dirty blonde hair skipped into the room.

"Yes daddy?" She asked with a smile.

"Go get your shoes, honey. I need some help going to the store," he said, grabbing his jacket. Liam turned around as their daughter skipped out of the room.

"I think you're forgetting something," he said, gesturing to Alex's apron. Alex rolled his eyes.

"Maybe I wanted to wear it out into public," he mumbled. Connor snorted.

"Only dorky dads do that," he mumbled, just like his father. Liam smiled and ruffled his son's hair.

"Now, now, daddy can't control his dorkiness," Liam said, sending them both into fits of laughter. Michelle walked back into the room with her sneakers on, looking at her papa and her brother laughing as her daddy took off his apron.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Nothing, baby. Let's get going before papa and Connor double team me again," Alex muttered, whisking his daughter out of the house.

* * *

"So Natalie, Haley, and Ella are going to leave from the academy together?" Claire asked her husband as he pulled into their gay best friends' driveway.

"That's what Natalie told me. Hey look, it looks like Alex and Michelle just got back from somewhere," Jim said, gesturing to the car that had pulled in in front of them.

"Wow, she's gotten big since the last time we saw her, she looks a lot like Liam," Claire said.

"She does… she's about eight now, right?" he asked. She nodded and opened the car door when Jim turned it off.

"Come on boys, put your video game down and come see your uncles," she said.

"They aren't really our uncles, you just call them that," Aiden muttered, putting his video game console down.

"Either way, you need to put the games down," she told him.

"Don't question your mother, life is better when you just do as she says," he told his sons. Ethan and Aiden began to laugh and Claire shot her husband a look.

"Thanks Jim," she muttered.

"Love you." Claire rolled her eyes and closed the car door, smiling when she saw her best friend turn toward her.

"Claire Kirk, nice of you to show up," Alex said, a smirk on his face.

"Alex Chambers… damn you got old," she muttered. Alex rolled his eyes and walked up to her, engulfing her into hug. Since the career change, he barely saw her. The last time they spoke in person was when Michelle was born. Jim walked up to them and gave a small wave to Michelle, who waved back. Her gaze settled on Ethan and Aiden, who were glancing around the house in wonder.

"Hi," she said softly. Ethan turned to her and smiled.

"Hey, I'm Ethan, this is Aiden," he introduced. Aiden smiled and gave a small nod.

"Sup," he muttered. Alex pulled away from Claire and smiled at her sons.

"Wow, you boys have grown, how old are you two now?" he asked.

"Thirteen," both of them answered. Alex chuckled at how they answered at the same time and in the same tone, it was a little creepy.

"They always like that?" he asked.

"It's worse at home, especially when they get into trouble," she confessed. Jim gave a nod and shot his boys a look. He loved them dearly, but the amount of times he had to bail them and their sister out of trouble was enough to drive anyone crazy.

"Okay, we haven't gotten in trouble in a while," Ethan defended.

"Yeah, the last time we got in big trouble it was Natalie's fault," Aiden added. Jim shot him a look.

"Yes, because it was totally Natalie's idea to jack a shuttle and visit the planet to check out the clubs…" Claire turned to her husband.

"Actually, that's believable." He nodded and Alex laughed.

"Right, well, we all better get inside. Ryan should be here soon, and Liam will want to see you guys, he misses you terribly." Claire nodded and followed him to the door, but stopped and turned toward her sons.

"If you two, break, hide, throw, or set anything on fire, you will be grounded. Please be good," she pleaded.

"Mom, you act like we're a couple of terror twins, we're not that bad," Aiden said. Claire rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Tell that to my burned carpet," she mumbled, entering the house. Ethan turned to their father, his bright blue eyes meeting his fathers older pair.

"Dad, we're not that bad… are we?" he asked.

"No, not at all… you guys just have a lot of pent up energy. Unfortunately, it seems to be misdirected," Jim said, entering the house. Ethan looked to his younger brother.

"What do you think he means by that?" he asked quietly.

"No clue… they have a big yard, you think they have quads?" Aiden asked.

"I don't know… we should check it out."

"After you!"

* * *

Natalie Kirk gave a small sigh of relief when they finally exited the dorms. Thankfully, their Uncle Alex and Liam's house was only ten minutes away, so they didn't need to rush.

"Can you believe that bullshit test Commander Robin's gave us?" Haley asked.

"It wasn't too bad, nothing beats Admiral Pike's strategy course. I barely passed that, if it wasn't for that extra credit assignment I would've failed," Ella said, her eyes scanning over a data pad. Natalie rolled her eyes at her cousins.

"You guys are so dramatic. The test would've been easy if we weren't hung over," she pointed out. Haley chuckled and shrugged.

"Yes, but we can't let Starfleet know that, they'll send us to the brig."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Natalie muttered.

"Come on, let's find a taxi and get the hell out of here. I'm done with school for the weekend. After tonight it's nothing but partying, drinking, and boys!" Ella said, throwing her data pad in her bag.

"I love Starfleet," Natalie said, smiling at a group of men running by for security training, with no shirts on of course. Haley was about to reply, but heard her phone go off. She gave a heavy sigh and quickly answered it.

"Hey," she said.

_"Haley, dad's lost and needs directions,"_ Terra said. Haley rolled her eyes, knowing how her father was.

"Where are you guys?" Haley asked, watching as her sister hailed a cab.

"_Uh… Easton road. Dad had no idea where he is. Of course he refuses to pull over for directions so now we're-"_

_"Terra, just ask your sister how to get there," _Haley heard her father say.

"_Yeah, Yeah… do we know where we are_?" Terra asked.

"Yup, just keep going until you find Windmill Ave and take a left. They are the third house on the right," Haley said.

"_Awesome, see you tonight,"_ Terra said, hanging up phone. Haley dropped her phone in her bag, smiling at the cabbie driver who pulled up.

"486 Windmill Ave, please," she said, entering the cab.

"You got it."

* * *

"Liam!" Claire cried out, running towards her gay best friend. Although communications between the Kirks and the Chambers-Peterson was rare, Claire and Liam always tried to talk at least once a month.

"Claire-bear!" Liam said, dropping his spoon and holding out his arms for Claire to run in to. Claire didn't need to be told as she ran towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"It's been too long!" She said, smiling as they pulled away. Behind him stood a mini geeky version of Alex.

"Far too long!" He said, noticing Claire's lack of focus.

"Hey Connor!" She said, smiling down at the boy. He quickly darted behind his papa as Alex and his sister entered the room behind the Kirk family.

"Connor, don't hide," Alex ordered, taking his new bag of charcoal out to the back yard.

"Don't be such a scaredy cat!" Michelle snapped, causing Connor to step out to face her.

"I'm not a scaredy cat," he snapped. Claire chuckled and moved forward, hugging her nephew.

"Wow, kid… you've gotten huge," she said. Connor gave a small smile and stepped away. He had met Claire before, but it felt like it had been years.

"Thanks," he muttered. She pulled away and looked over to her own boys, who had just entered the kitchen. Claire went to introduce them, but Ethan beat her to it.

"Hey, Ethan and Aiden," he said. Aiden smiled at the younger boy, who looked slightly overwhelmed.

"Uh… Connor…" he replied.

"You got any quads?" Aiden asked, being straight forward.

"Aiden, what did I tell you," Claire snapped. Aiden rolled his eyes but looked to Connor, who pushed the rim of his glasses up.

"Uh no… I don't usually do sport stuff like that. I just do experiments and play video games," he confessed. Ethan and Aiden exchanged looks and smiled.

"What kind of video games? Can we see?" Ethan asked. Conner smiled and visibly relaxed.

"Sure, follow me," he said, leading them up the stairs. Michelle frowned when she realized the older boys were leaving her behind and ran after them.

"I want to play too!" Claire chuckled and sat at the island.

"I remember that age, Ethan and Aiden always followed Grayson and Natalie around. It was so cute," she confessed.

"How is Natalie? Is she still coming?" Liam asked.

"She's at the academy," Jim said, stealing some chips.

"She had classes today, and she said she would stop by after her class. Hopefully she'll get here soon." The door rang and Liam put his cooking supplies down.

"I'll be back," he said. Claire nodded and took a look around the large kitchen. She briefly wondered if she and Jim would have a house like this if they decided to stay on earth after Natalie was born.

"Nice place," Jim commented. Claire nodded.

"Very nice. Liam obviously decorated." Jim laughed and looked over as he saw someone enter the room.

"Almost a year without seeing me and you don't even get up? Some sister…" Claire smiled and stood up, quickly making her way over to her brother and hugging him.

"Ry! You're here, God I missed you," she said, kissing his cheek. Ryan chuckled and kissed her forehead.

"I missed you too. So did the whole family," he said just as Anna walked in with six of their eight children following behind her. The eldest of the bunch stood next to her mother, not wanting to be involved with the younger siblings. She couldn't wait until she left for the academy with her older sisters next fall.

"Hi Auntie Claire!" She said as Claire turned and hugged one of her many nieces.

"Hey Terra. I heard you've been helping your mom out a bunch," Claire said, recalling what her sister-in-law told her last time they chatted. Anna smiled and placed an arm around her daughter.

"She's been a big help," Anna said proudly, smiling down at Terra. Almira coughed from behind them.

"Yeah, yeah. Terra is all great and stuff. What about me?" She snapped. Anna turned around and pulled her close on the other side of her body.

"You know I love you too. And you've been great helping daddy at work," she said, placing a kiss on the crown of her head.

"Thanks mom!" She said, smiling up at her mother.

"You're such a suck up," Terra mumbled. Almira's face turned red and she rounded on her older sister.

"Take that back!"

"Jeez, usually we're the ones who end up fighting," Jessica said to her twin sister. Erin folded her arms and chuckled.

"Just enjoy it, Jess," she said. Jess mimicked her sister's pose and watched.

"Hey, both of you calm down. For the love of God. Carmen, Tyler, say hi to your aunt and uncle!" Anna said. Carmen walked up and hugged her aunt, and Claire leaned over to kiss the top of Tyler's head.

"Wow, you've all gotten so big. Erin, Jess, you two look great." The twins smiled and thanked her before turning to their Uncle Liam.

"Do you have a TV?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah, in the living room," he said. Jessica and Erin said hi to their uncle Jim before walking into the living room, Almira following them close behind. Terra, on the other hand, sat at the island and began to stir a bowl of pudding.

"Tyler, the boys are upstairs if you want to hang with them," Claire said.

"Okay… thanks," Tyler nodded before making his way up the stairs, Carmen following him close by.

"Hey, Alex is out back with the grill, you want to bring the meat out to him?" Liam asked. Both Jim and Ryan took a plate and left, leaving Claire, Liam, and Anna alone, with Terra still stirring the pudding.

"How have you been?" Claire asked, hugging her sister-in-law.

"Can't complain. Pretty much trying to balance kids with work. It's not too bad, Rupert and Oliver actually help out, and the kids are pretty much old enough to take care of themselves. It's just keeping them out of trouble," Anna said. Claire sighed and nodded. Her boys and Natalie were enough trouble, she couldn't imagine having eight kids to look after.

"Don't I know it. Alex and Liam got lucky and got the well behaved kids," Claire said.

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Terra asked. Anna chuckled and kissed the top of her daughters head.

"No, of course not. Why don't you go make sure Almira and the Twins are okay." Terra sighed and slid off the stool.

"I know when I'm not wanted. Just let me know when Haley and the girls get here," she said, walking into the living room. Anna sighed and took her spot, while Claire sat next to her.

"Well ladies, how's life been treating you?" Liam asked, smiling at the two of them.

"Just fine, life on the Ivory is pretty boring. We're both pretty busy, so we try to spend as much time as we can with each other. We usually have one romantic night a month set aside for us," Anna confessed.

"I know what you mean. I don't know about you, but sex when you have kids slows down quite a lot," Liam confessed. Anna nodded and they looked at Claire who shrugged.

"Depends. I guess when your kids get older it's easier." Anna chuckled and shot her sister-in-law a look.

"You two still having sex in the captain's chair whenever you get the chance?" she asked. Claire turned a light pink and shot her friend a look.

"No, we just do it in his office. We haven't had sex on the bridge since we got walked in on by Chekov… poor kid," she muttered. Anna and Liam began to hysterically laugh, causing Claire to roll her eyes. Before Liam could reply, the door opened and they heard the sound of girls giggling.

"Uncle Liam? Uncle Alex?" a voice called.

"Haley?" Anna replied. A girl appeared around the corner and smiled before running over to her mother.

"Hi Mom!" she said, hugging her. Soon, two more girls appeared around the corner and Claire stood up.

"Hey Nat, you going to come and say hi?" Claire asked. Natalie chuckled and moved to hug her mother.

"Hey Mom, sorry, I meant to call you earlier this week, but the academy is a little hectic right now." Ella walked over and hugged her mother before looking up and around.

"Where is dad and Uncle Jim?" she asked.

"In the backyard, you all should say hi. Your dads miss you," Anna said.

* * *

"Please don't burn the burgers," Jim said, taking a swig of beer. Alex turned and glared at him.

"I might be married to a man, but do you not know the bro code?" Both Ryan and Jim raised an eyebrow.

"What?" They asked. Alex turned back to his burgers real quick before turning and facing his two of his best friends.

"Bro code. If you're not cooking on the grill, then you keep your mouth shut about the method of whoever is cooking," he said. Ryan nodded and took a sip of beer while Jim chuckled.

"Dude, I'm not the one burning the burgers," he said, gesturing to the grill. Alex turned around.

"They're fine. I want to make sure they get cooked all the way through. Michelle got food poisoning from an uncooked burger before," he explained. Ryan choked on his beer as they watched one of the many burgers catch fire.

"Well, I guess that one is Michelle's burger then," Jim said, causing him and Ryan to burst out laughing, much to Alex's dismay. He hurried to put the fire on the burning piece of meat out as the back screen door opened. Natalie led the three girls outside and ran towards her father.

"DAD!" She said, not worried about tripping over anything. Liam kept his yard like he kept the inside of his house; perfect. Jim embraced his daughter as she crashed into his arms.

"Hey there, Nat. I feel like I get to see more of Uncle Ryan than I get to see you sometimes," he said, smiling as Ryan sent a glare in his direction. No matter how many years went by, Jim still loved to piss Ryan off.

"Miss us, dad?" Haley asked as she followed close behind Natalie. Ella brought up the rear of the three. Ryan held out his arms wide so both of his daughters could fit in his arms.

"More than anything!" He said, pulling them close. He paused as he caught a whiff of something.

"Okay, which one of you was smoking?" He asked, scanning the faces of the three girls. Natalie rolled her eyes, but Haley bit her lip.

"That'd be me, dad," she mumbled. Ryan gave her a disappointed look, but sighed.

"Sorry, baby. You're old enough to make your own decisions," he said, though his tone still made his eldest daughter feel kind of guilty. Alex watched the display before him.

"Alright Jim, why don't you help me with these? Ryan, can you get some more burgers?" Ryan nodded and Jim stepped up to the grill.

"Now, the proper why to make a good burger is…"

* * *

Less than an hour later, a huge table now sat in the Chambers-Peterson's perfect backyard. Jim now stood proud at the grill as all the kids helped set the table.

"Terra, can you get the rest of the kids please," Anna asked. Terra nodded and walked to the door and took a deep breath.

"HEY! DINNER IS READY! YOU EAT NOW OR YOU DON'T EAT AT ALL!" she called. Anna sighed and shook her head.

"I could have done that," she muttered.

"But you didn't," Claire pointed out. Anna lightly shoved her sister-in-law and they sat down. Soon the kids filed out into the backyard and took their seats.

"Alright, and we have dinner," Jim said, placing a large plate of meat on the table. Immediately, all the boys went for it, causing the girls to jump and sit back and wait.

"Jesus, it's like watching the discovery channel," Haley muttered. The boys ignored her and soon everyone was passing food around the table.

"So, girls, how is the academy working out for you?" Liam asked. Ella shrugged.

"Pretty good, I started a few engineering courses and I actually get to visit a starship and help out… though, can't say I haven't already done that." Ryan chuckled and shook his head.

"What about you, Haley? You're taking exoarchaeology, right?" Haley nodded and ate a bit of her salad.

"Yup. I took a class based on it and fell in love with the course. It was better than Astrophysics," she muttered, taking a glance at Natalie, who shot her a look.

"Shut up, I like Astrophysics, it's easy."

"Alright, let's not argue too much, please?" Claire asked. The girls blushed lightly but ceased their arguing.

"Terra, what are you going into when you enter Starfleet?" Jim asked.

"I don't know… I was thinking about becoming a counselor…" she confessed.

"Sounds good, you like listening to people bitch," Almira said. Terra shot her sisters a look. Before she could reply, a piece of chicken flew past her face and landed on Tyler, who was pretty much was keeping to himself.

"Hey!" he protested. Aiden and Ethan began giggling and Claire shot them a look.

"Because that was _so_ mature," she snapped.

"Why mother, I have a feeling that you are being sarcastic," Ethan said.

"Why mother? Have we done something wrong?" Aiden added. Claire took a deep breath and continued to fix her glare on sons. Ryan chuckled and shook his head.

"Boys, stop messing with your mom," Jim interrupted. Claire dropped her gaze and turned toward Connor, who was now talking to Tyler.

"So, Connor, your dad tells me you want to join Starfleet," she said. Conner blushed and nodded.

"Yeah… I'm thinking about something in the science department, it just seems so interesting."

"It's a lot of late nights though," Ella told him.

"And a lot of eyebrows being burned off," Haley added.

"It's not all the bad, Grayson is about to graduate and become a Commander. He said it's fairly easy," Natalie assured the boy.

"That's because he's part Vulcan and can do half the shit they do in his sleep. If it wasn't for him finding a way for some Vulcan animal to not become extinct, then he wouldn't be Commander," Haley pointed out. Natalie rolled her eyes and her grey irises met with the young boys warm brown.

"It's not that bad, you should go for it." Connor nodded and turned back to his food.

"This is great Liam, where did you get the recipe?" Anna asked.

"No clue, just kind of found it. Next time I make it I'll write it down and send it to you," he said.

"So, how has the _Enterprise _been treating you?"

"It's different when you're an admiral, but I can't complain. Claire hasn't divorced me, and we're still raising our boys. Granted, the amount of trouble they get into is not fun, but we cope," he confessed.

"Pays when your dad is an admiral," Natalie mumbled. Ethan and Aiden chuckled but didn't add onto the statement.

"How about you, Ryan?" Claire asked.

"Pretty good. The _Ivory_ doesn't see nearly as much action as the _Enterprise_, but it's probably better that way. We're busy raising the kids most of the time."

"Yeah, they tend to be a handful, they don't get into as much trouble as your kids though. The biggest thing we've had was Almira sneaking up to the bridge and trying to drive it. Everything else is little things," Anna confessed.

"You're lucky, you're too young to get brig time," Claire said to her niece.

"Yeah, brig time was not one of my favorite past times," Jim confessed.

"You're telling us," Natalie muttered. Claire and Jim looked at their daughter and shot her a look.

"What have you been doing that caused brig time?" Jim asked.

"Nothing bad, just… a couple of parties…" she confessed, turning red. Jim ran a hand over his face and shook his head.

"It's not that bad, we've all gotten brig time for parties," Liam said.

"Besides, I'm sure you've gotten brig time for worse," Ryan said. Jim thought about it for a moment.

"The worst I ever got was for disobeying a commanding officer… if you don't count for being marooned. I always got brig time for parties. I almost did get suspended, but then the Nero thing happened and… yeah," he admitted.

"Man, believe it or not, I think Claire has you beat," Ryan said. Claire turned toward her brother and shot him a look.

"Why, what did you do?" Natalie asked.

"Yeah, you got brig time?" Aiden asked.

"Did you kill someone?" Ethan inquired.

"I didn't kill anyone. I was… young and stupid." Jim turned to his wife and urged her to continue. He had known her for over twenty years, but they rarely talked about the academy, surprisingly.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"I… we were on a field trip to the station orbiting earth, and a bunch of my friends and I had been drinking a smuggled shipment of Romulan ale. Well… we thought it would be a good idea to borrow a shuttle and visit a club not to far from out galaxy." Natalie, Haley, and Ella's eyes went wide, and Jim began to laugh.

"How did you not get suspended for that?" Haley asked.

"No one could prove it was her idea, and one of her Commanders came to her defense. So she was left off with a months brig time, and was not allowed on any field trips. Not to mention she was stuck doing the dirty jobs in the Starfleet sickbay."

"Do all your partying and rebel behavior in school, that is the only time you're going to be able to do it without major repercussions," Claire told the girls.

"Alright, enough about the academy, I spend too much time there already," Liam muttered.

"I know, and the sickbay at the academy isn't much better. You know how many kids I get coming in with hangovers and infected tattoos. I don't know why these kids come into Starfleet and feel they have to get a tattoo."

"You should ask Natalie," Ethan said.

"Yeah, it doesn't look infected though. It actually looked kind of lame," Aiden added.

"Shut up!" Natalie hissed at her brothers.

"A tattoo?" Jim asked.

"It's just a rose, that's it. No big deal," Natalie muttered.

"Jesus, Natalie has a tattoo, Haley smokes, next thing you know Ella's going to tell us she's got a tramp stamp," Ryan muttered. Ella blushed and ran a hand through her long brown hair.

"Well…" Anna placed a hand over her face.

"Oh for the love of God."

"Alright, everyone, let's talk about something else, something that doesn't make us want to punch each other out," Alex suggested.

"Good idea, so what's new with the Kirk family?" Liam said, helping his husband change the subject. Jim leaned over and put an arm around his wife's shoulders as Claire smiled.

"Nothing is new, really. Jim, the boys, and I have been pretty busy on the _Enterprise_. Jim is still the busy man he always was and I'm head surgeon of the _Enterprise_ while the boys continue to try to evade doing their school work," Claire explained. Ryan smiled.

"Leave it to my sister to talk Starfleet into sending teachers aboard a starship," he said proudly. Claire shrugged.

"Well, the kids needed an education and those stupid computer programs could control the boys about as well as mom and dad could control us from fifty light years away," she pointed out. Ethan and Aiden both folded their arms.

"We're right here, mom," Aiden said while Ethan nodded.

"Yeah, really. You make it seem like we're bad kids," he added. Natalie chuckled.

"Aren't you, though?"

"You're just as bad. Aiden and I only try to follow in your footsteps," Ethan told her.

"Okay, whatever."

"What about the Conaway's? How is my brother doing trying to raise all these lovely girls… and Tyler." Tyler rolled his eyes and continued to eat his food.

"I'm doing just fine, thank you very much. I'm still in control of my ship, and despite losing the kids every now and then, I get by." Anna chuckled.

"I'd give in another year or two and Ryan will be Admiral. I'll still be stuck as chief of security," Anna said. Ryan warped and arm around her waist and smiled.

"Yes, but you're my chief of security," he whispered. A few of the kids groaned in protest of the corny line, and Liam laughed.

"Oh, just wait till your older. You'll be doing the same thing," he said.

"Nu-uh, man. The day a girl get's me to say mushy things like that to her will be the day hell freezes over," Aiden said. Ethan nodded and the brothers shared a fist pound. Jim just rolled his eyes and shook his head. He remembered those days.

"Well, we know how the gay couple are doing. You guys loving life on earth?" Ryan asked.

"Pretty much. The kids are pretty quiet, and work is stressful, but we're happy," Liam said.

"We do miss the _Enterprise_, but we're happy," Alex added.

"Daddy, when can we have cake?" Carmen asked.

"When dinner is done and the grown ups go to talk about grown up things," Ryan replied.

"You know, we're grown ups too," Haley said.

"Yeah, but I honestly don't want to sit around with my parents and listen to them talk about the 'old times'," Natalie added.

"Truth," Ella muttered. Ryan looked at his daughters.

"Oh, you don't want to know about the good ol' days when Aunt Claire used to date Uncle Alex?" Everyone's eyes went wide at the table, save for the adults.

"Aunt Claire and Uncle Alex? Ew!" Terra exclaimed as Natalie shook her head.

"I vaguely remember hearing you talk about this before," she mumbled.

"Talk that should have stayed private," Claire said, shooting her brother a glare. Ryan shrugged and leaned back in his seat.

"I would prefer to not think about where my husband's junk has been before we got together, thank you," Liam said, shoveling some potato salad onto his plate.

"HEY!" Both Claire and Alex shouted in unison, causing most of the table to burst out laughing.

"Even I know that they didn't do the nasty," Jim said, causally taking a drink. He was completely unaffected by the situation.

"Why, how do you know that?" Anna asked, already knowing full well of the Alex and Claire escapades.

"That would have been the conversation our loud mouth daughter overheard," Jim replied. Natalie rolled her eyes.

"And where do you think I got my loud mouth from? Obviously not mom," she pointed out. Ryan snorted into his food as the words left his niece's lips.

"You think your mom doesn't have a loud mouth? You are sorely mistaken," he said. Claire shot him a look.

"Psh, you're one to talk. Though, I believe if you got a loud mouth from anyone, it was your uncle Liam. I've never heard someone gossip so much in their life until I met him," Claire muttered.

"I don't know, Rupert was a bit of a gossip queen as well," Liam replied.

"How is Rupert and Oliver? I haven't talked to them in a while."

"They're fine. Oliver get's along great with the kids. Rupert is being the playboy he is, but he's fine." Claire nodded and finished her dinner.

"Dad, we're done… can we go now?" Conner asked. Alex nodded but Liam spoke.

"If you all clean your plates and put them in the sink, you may go," Liam said. In a rush, several of the kids got up and left, taking their plates with them. Ryan and Anna chuckled when they saw the eldest girls were the last to leave.

"They grow up so fast, don't they?" Anna mused.

"Seems like just yesterday we were all gathered around Natalie's playpen watching her turn on her stomach," Liam muttered. Claire and Jim exchanged looks, knowing full well how fast things change.

"Yup, now the oldest are in Starfleet, Terra is right behind them, and lord only knows where the other kids are heading," Alex said.

"Let's not rush them. Let's enjoy it while we have it," Claire muttered. Jim wrapped an arm around his wife's waist.

"Yeah, I mean, Almira is right behind Terra. Jess and Erin are in the same boat as The boys. The rest of the kids are right behind them. It's just… it's hard to believe," Jim said. Claire nodded and sighed. Ryan let Anna rest her head on his shoulder and smiled.

"Remember when we thought that this was so far into the future?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Alex inquired, wrapping up some of the left over food.

"You know, being married with kids. I mean, all of us have been through so much with each other, it never occurred to us that we'd actually get here, and being happy about it," Ryan stated. Anna nodded and gave a small sigh.

"It feels like forever ago since we were all aboard the _Enterprise_." Liam nodded and smiled lightly.

"I miss our supply closet," He said wistfully. His gaze landing on Alex.

"Who doesn't," Jim replied. Claire chuckled and leaned her head against him.

"I miss it back then. When we all… somewhat got along," she said, shooting a look at Jim and Ryan.

"Those were the good old days. I miss them," Anna said. Claire nodded and let her husband kiss the top of her head.

"I miss them too. Chasing after you were some of the second best times in my life," Jim said, reminiscing on the times he tried so hard to get Claire to agree to date him. The good old days when the butterflies in their stomachs were still new and they were both uncertain.

"Second best?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.

"The best times in my life are being with you," he said, dropping down to plant a kiss on her lips. Claire smiled into the kiss, enjoy the corny little lines her husband slipped her every now and again.

"Why don't you say cheesy lines like that to me?" Liam asked, turning to glare at Alex. Alex shrugged.

"Because I don't need to anymore. I just take you up to our room and fuck you senseless," he replied, casually taking a sip of his beer. Liam opened his mouth to argue back, but stopped and closed his mouth again.

"Let's not talk about your sex lives," Anna suggested, causing everyone, but Ryan to laugh.

"I don't think I miss the old days too much," he said after thinking about it for a few minutes. Everyone at the table turned to look at him.

"Why not?" His sister asked, leaning across the table to grabbed his hand worriedly, seeing the grim expression on his face. Anna too reached out for her husband, but Ryan shook his head.

"Because of all the crap we had to go through to get here. I don't miss it at all. My best friend betraying me and my dead ex-fiancée. Liam and Alex's long fights. Especially the whole thing when Claire and I were fighting at the same time her and Jim broke up. I don't miss any of that," he stated. Silence fell over the table as everyone pondered all the bad times leading up to their picnic that day.

"Maybe you're right, Ryan. Perhaps we did go through a lot of crap to get where we are today. But I don't regret any of it and I don't think you do either. If Colleen were still alive, how do you know you would still have eight healthy children with the same beautiful wife you do now?" Jim asked, finally breaking the silence. Anna turned to look at her husband, watching the concentrated look on his face.

"Do you regret all the obstacles you went through to get me?" She asked softly, causing his grey eyes to snap to her brown.

"Never." His answer was short, but the emotions behind them could tell a life time of certainty.

"No one else does either. Well, to get their significant other. Obviously not me," Anna said, adding some humor on at the end to bring a smile to everyone's face.

"She has a point, Ry," Claire stated.

"I know. It's just… damn, that place was just so drama filled it was like a soap opera," Ryan muttered. The group laughed and Claire took a long sip of her drink.

"So, what are your plans? You planning on retiring anytime soon?" Claire asked her brother. Ryan chuckled and shook his head.

"No way in hell, this is too much fun. I love being captain of my ship. Although, a promotion wouldn't be too bad either," Ryan admitted.

"Don't be too hasty, some Captains get promoted then get stuck on earth. Just remember that," Liam pointed out.

"What about you? _Admiral_, You see a retirement in your future?" Anna asked.

"I haven't thought about it. Maybe… then again, I've been doing this longer than any of you guys."

"Not necessarily, I'm about the same age as you," Liam pointed out.

"Yes, but you haven't been captain of a ship that has been the responsibility for keeping the federation safe. Starfleet puts a lot of things on my shoulders just for the hell of it. Not to mention keeping up with my wife and kids. Things get a little crazy."

"Okay, enough of the Jim show. We get enough talk from Starfleet about how awesome you are," Anna muttered.

"AUNT CLAIRE! ETHAN THREW A SOFTBALL AT ME!" a voice screeched from inside the house. Clair paused before her face fell and she gave a small groan.

"SHUT UP CARMEN, I DID NOT!" Claire stood up and looked to her friends.

"Excuse me, I must beat my son now," she said. The table laughed and Jim sighed as he watched his wife walk into the house. "ETHAN TIBERIUS KIRK, YOU GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW MISTER!"

"MOM, IT WASN'T ME! IT WAS AIDEN!"

"SHUT UP, ETHAN, YOU LIAR!" Liam began to giggle as he heard Claire go sort the situation out.

"Damn, at least McCoy's influence became useful eventually."

"Ethan Kirk, I swear to God, if you do not start behaving yourself I will put you in your room and keep you there until you are twenty!" Jim chuckled and ran a hand over his face.

"Yes well, she needs it."

"So, what time are you kicking us out of this nice little abode?" Ryan asked, looking at his two gay best friends.

"We haven't really thought about it. I suppose within the next hour or so. The kids are starting to get a bit restless, and the girls need to head back to the academy," Alex stated, looking at his husband. Liam sighed.

"I wish we could get together more than a few times a year. It's kind of depressing," Liam mumbled. Everyone at the table nodded as a painfully silence filled the air.

"At least we're still getting together," Anna offered, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, we should appreciate the time that we're spending together and not mourn all the time we're not," Ryan added, coming to the aid of his wife. Claire nodded as Jim took her hand in his, as she came back to the table.

"This is true. Even my brother has profound thoughts!" She said, causing the table to burst out laughing and earning a scowl from her brother.

"And even my sister can find a sense of humor," he shot back. Claire stuck her tongue out in a very lady like fashion.

"Now, now children. Play nice," Liam said, watching the Conaway siblings glare at one another.

"You'd think having children of their own would change their behavior," Alex mumbled. Jim chuckled.

"Nope, not really. She's still the same old ditzy girl I fell for," he said, planting a kiss on Claire's cheek.

"Aw… wait, ditzy?"

"And he's still the same old bipolar guy I fell for," Anna said, leaning her head on her husband's shoulder. Ryan smiled at her gestured, but frowned as her words sunk in.

"Bipolar? What the hell?" He exclaimed. Anna just smiled.

"Exactly."

* * *

An hour later, after the backyard was cleaned up, all the extra food was put away, and Carmen had given Connor a black eye, it was officially time to go.

"Daddy, I didn't mean it!" Carmen said, still sour from being in trouble.

"I'm sure. Come on, let's get you in the car," Ryan said. He picked up his youngest daughter and walked to the minivan. Anna sighed and looked over at her best friends.

"I'm so glad we stopped to visit. We really miss you guys," she said, hugging Liam.

"We miss you too. Don't be shy to drop by. Your girls do it all the time." Anna chuckled and watched as Haley and Ella said goodbye to their siblings. Ryan walked back and Anna saw her youngest daughter sitting in the car crying, with Tyler rolling his eyes and trying to block her out.

"Thanks for having us, we'll see you around?" he asked. Liam nodded and hugged, him, causing Ryan to awkwardly hug back. He still was a bit uncomfortable with his closeness.

"Bye Uncle Liam, bye Uncle Alex!" Jessica said. Erin followed her sister, and soon all of the younger Conaway kids were saying goodbye and running to the car.

"Did you say goodbye to Aunt Claire and Uncle Jim?" Anna asked.

"Yes mom!" the girls chorused. Ryan chuckled and gestured to the car.

"Here, we'll make room for the rest of the group to say goodbye."

"Love you! Call us soon!" Anna said.

"Be safe!" Alex called. Anna and Ryan walked to their car, the same time as Haley and Ella walked up to them.

"Thanks for the food!" Haley said, hugging Alex. Alex hugged her back and smiled.

"Of course. I'm assuming you'll be around sometime next week?" he asked. Haley and Ella smiled as they switched hugging uncles.

"Probably, Uncle Liam's food is freaking amazing," Ella said. Liam chuckled and waved the girls off.

"Stay out of trouble!" Haley and Ella giggled as they went to say goodbye to their parents and wait for Natalie.

"Hey, Uncle Alex, Conner said you have a motor bike around here!" Aiden said.

"Yeah, can we borrow it? Just for the weekend?" Ethan added.

"No, no more motor vehicles, not after last time. Say goodbye to your uncles and go wait for us by the car," Claire said. Ethan and Aiden gave an exasperated look but complied and ran to Haley and Ella, who suddenly looked annoyed by their younger cousins pestering them.

"Natalie, I'm not done talking!" Jim snapped.

"Dad, I'll talk with you at breakfast tomorrow. No need to chew my ear off now! Bye Uncle Liam and Uncle Alex. Thanks for dinner. See you at the car mom." Claire raised an eyebrow as Natalie hugged her uncles and walked to the car, only to be bombarded by her brothers.

"What did you say?" Claire asked.

"Nothing, she said something to Haley about a party and I told her that she should be more worried about her classes." Claire snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Hypocrite."

"We're glad you stopped by. We see more of Ryan and his bunch then you two," Liam said.

"Yeah, you need to call more," Alex agreed.

"I know, I'm going to hell for being such a bad friend," Claire said, hugging Liam.

"Damn right you are! I don't even remember the last time you, Anna, and I had a girl's night," he snapped in a playful manner. Alex rolled his eyes.

"For the hundredth time, Liam, it's only a girl's night if there are all girls going. You are not a girl," he reminded his husband. Liam rolled his eyes.

"They still call it boy's night when you go with Ryan and Jim," Liam countered, causing Claire and Jim to stifle back their laughter. Alex glared at his husband.

"Well, if I'm not man enough for you then, I suppose there won't be any sex tonight then," Alex threatened. Everyone knew that the way to a man's heart was through his stomach, but the way to Liam's heart was with a penis.

"Well, as fun as it is to listen to my oldest friends talk about their sex lives, I think we should get going," Claire interjected. Jim nodded.

"Yeah, I think I had enough of that when we all were on the same ship," he mumbled. Alex smiled and embraced both of them one last time.

"Be safe, come back soon, and all the other things you're supposed to say when your best friends are leaving," he said.

"Did you really mean what you said?" Liam asked from behind him, paranoid. Alex turned around and gave him a sly smile.

"I guess you'll have to find out later, won't you?" Claire threw her hands up in defeat.

"We're leaving. Now. BYE GUYS!" She said as she grabbed her husband's hand and pulled him out of the house.

"Some things never change," Jim mumbled. Claire nodded and walked up to where her brother and sister-in-law stood.

"Well, we got to go, our taxi is here," Haley said, hugging her dad. Ella hugged her mom before hugging her dad, who kissed the top of both their heads.

"Be safe," he said. They nodded and waved goodbye before heading to the car. Natalie hugged her mom and ruffled her brothers hair before turning to her dad and hugging him.

"We'll see you for breakfast?" he asked. Natalie nodded and kissed his cheek.

"Yup, see you guys around!" she said, waving goodbye to her family. Claire sighed as she watched her oldest child and her nieces drive away.

"Man, I feel old," Anna said. Jim raised an eyebrow and shook his head. He was older than the whole bunch, but he decided not to mention it.

"So, I guess it will be a while before we'll be seeing you guys again?" Ryan asked.

"Probably. You never know what's going on with the _Enterprise_, it's always one thing after the other," Claire confessed.

"Well, there is always retirement to look forward to," Anna reminded her. Claire nodded and looked at Jim, who seemed content just holding her close and listening to the conversation.

"I don't want to leave," she said. Jim nodded and smiled. He knew she missed her family and friends, and she gave up a lot staying with him. He was selfishly glad though.

"Maybe we can meet up before we all leave tomorrow?" He asked.

"We have an early dispatch tomorrow. We were thinking about just spending the night on the ship and leaving from there," Ryan confessed. Claire sighed and broke away from her husband to hug her sister-in-law.

"Well, push comes to shove, we'll meet you at the space station in a few months," she said. Anna nodded and smiled.

"Of course, good luck with those boys of yours. All three of them," Anna said. Claire chuckled and watched as Jim shook hands with Ryan. He pulled away and hugged Anna.

"Take care," he said.

"Of course, you better make sure my best friend is being looked after. I have to deal with her bitchy brother otherwise," she said. He chuckled and nodded before turning to Ethan and Aiden, who were hovering around a portable game system.

"Alright, into the car, we're heading home," He said.

"Bye!" Ethan and Aiden said, not taking their eyes off the game and climbing into the car. Anna and Ryan chuckled as Anna entered the car. Claire quickly hugged her brother and kissed his cheek.

"Be safe, okay? I love you," she said. He nodded and kissed the top of her head.

"You too, stay out of trouble. I love you." He laughed upon seeing her sister scrunch up her nose.

"Yeah, I'm the one in trouble." He laughed and hugged her once more.

"I'll see you," he whispered. She nodded and pulled away.

"Of course."

* * *

Liam waited patiently on the bed he shared with Alex, trying not to think about Alex's words denying him sex that night. They always had sex on the weekends, it was part of what made the weekends the weekends. He had just come back from tucking in Michelle who wasted no time in passing out. It seems like her non-blood related 'cousins' wore her out. Alex had offered to tuck their son in after icing down his eye. Liam still wasn't sure whether Carmen's hot temper came from her father or her mother, but he was leaning towards Anna.

"Hey, hun," Alex said as he entered the room, trying to quietly shut the door behind him. Liam looked up and felt his heart clench in his chest. Alex looked tired. That probably meant he was going to stay true to his words.

"Hey." Alex ignored his short, nervous reply as he crossed the room and striped out of his clothes. Liam watched his husband's every move, trying to read his facial expression. Normally, Alex was pretty easy to read, but when he didn't want to be read, he made sure it was almost impossible to try to figure out what was going on in his head. Liam hated it.

"Conner's eye still looks pretty bad, but the swelling is going down," Alex said as he threw his dirty clothes into their hampered and crawled into bed in nothing, but his boxers. He didn't put on his normal pajamas. There was still hope for Liam yet.

"I'm glad he's okay. Michelle was asleep as her head hit the pillow," Liam said as Alex reached over and shut the lights off. They were alone, in the dark, and the kids were asleep. Perfect.

"That's good. Now, it's the weekend and you know what I like to do on the weekends?" Alex cooed into his husband's ear. Liam smiled.

"I thought you said no sex tonight?" He asked playfully. Liam could feel Alex shrugged in the dark as he pulled away.

"Okay, if that's what you want," he said as he laid down on his side, facing away from his lover.

"What? No. I always want you!" Liam said panicked, thinking Alex was serious. He was doing it again, making it impossible for Liam figure out if he was telling the true or not.

"Really? I remember a time when you wanted nothing to do with me," Alex mumbled, not turning to look behind him. Liam bit his lip.

"That was a long time ago and we got passed this," he said sternly. Alex sat up and turned to face him.

"I know, but you haven't always wanted me. There was a time-" Liam held his hand up to cover his husband's mouth.

"No, I never stopped wanting you. From the first day I was on the _Enterprise_ to today, there's never been a second that I've stopped wanting you. You think our break was easy for me? It wasn't," Liam said. Alex mumbled something behind his hand, but Liam ignored him. "I only had sex once after we broke up and when I came, I was shouting out your name. Every time I masturbated, it was you that I was thinking about. I even broke down and wrote a few corny poems about you and how much I missed us. I never stopping wanting you… I never stopped loving you," he finished. Alex said nothing, so Liam pulled his hand away. Behind his hand, a small smile was spread across Alex's face.

"I never stopped loving you either," he said, leaning forward and capturing his husband's lips.

* * *

"Alright guys, it's eleven. I want all of you ready for bed in a half hour. If you're not ready, you have to spend an hour with Uncle Rupert down in engineering!" Ryan said, addressing his children. His oldest daughter who was still at home scowled.

"Dad, I'm going to the academy next year. I don't think it's fair that I still have to go to bed at the same time as everyone else," Terra said, trying to reason with her father. Ryan merely shook his head.

"Just one more year of going to bed with everyone else then," he replied. Terra stomped her foot and rushed off to her room in a huff. At least she wasn't sharing a room with her younger siblings anymore. Almira didn't question her father and scurried off to her room too. Anna watched her twin daughters as they tried to sneak away from their mother's disapproving eye.

"What do you two have?" She asked. Erin paused and turned around, obviously busted, but Jessica made a break for their room.

"NOTHING MOM!" She cried out over her shoulder. Anna turned to Ryan who sighed.

"Erin?" He asked. The eldest of the twins just smiled.

"We found him when we were leaving Uncle Liam and Uncle Alex's house," she said innocently.

"Found who?" Anna asked, standing next to her husband. Jessica's head peeked out from their room.

"If we told you, you won't let us keep him," she defended. Ryan sighed.

"I'm not going to let you keep him anyway," he told them. Reluctantly, Jessica's head disappeared and she walked out of their room a minutes later, a beagle puppy in her hands.

"His name is Sir-Ruff-A-Lot," Erin told her parents as she reached out to pet the puppy. Sir-Ruff-A-Lot barked happily and his small tail started wagging back and forth between Jessica's arms. Anna shook her head disapprovingly at her daughters, but Ryan smiled. It reminded him of the day Claire introduced him to Rocky.

"I still don't like the name," Jessica mumbled. Anna gestured for them to hand the puppy over.

"Mom, don't get rid of Jeffery!" Tyler cried out as he ran into the room. Carmen ran in behind him.

"His name is Russell, stupid!" She called after him.

"I've had enough of this. You're not allowed to keep this dog!" Anna snapped. Ryan nodded, but smiled.

"Let me talk to your mom real quick," he said. Anna turned and gapped at her husband.

"Excuse me?" She asked as Jessica handed the puppy over to her mother. Ryan grabbed the dog instead and motioned for Anna to follow him.

"Listen, Terra and Almira will both be gone in two years. It was hard enough for them to lose Haley and Ella, but two more sisters. I think they could use a pet," Ryan said. Anna shook her head.

"I don't like what you're doing here. You're setting an example for the kids to keep doing this," she pointed out. Ryan nodded.

"They won't get to keep him easily. First, they must all agree on a name. Second, we're going to give them more chores so they can keep him. They won't be getting off easy, but I think it can be a good thing," he said, scratching the puppy behind the ear. He closed his eyes and snuggled closer to Ryan. Anna looked down at the beagle puppy.

"He reminds you of Rocky, doesn't he?" She asked. He nodded.

"Once Claire got Rocky, she became more responsible. I think it'll be good for the kids," he said again. Anna nodded.

"Fine, but the moment they neglect the dog, we're finding him a better home," Anna said. Ryan smiled and nodded.

"Agreed. Let's go tell the kids," he said. Anna returned his nodded and they returned to where the kids were waiting patiently. Terra and Almira had joined the group in their absence.

"We're getting a dog? How come you wouldn't let me keep the cat I wanted?" Terra asked angrily. Anna rolled her eyes.

"The cat attacked Tyler," she reminded her. Terra opened her mouth to reply, but quickly closed it upon seeing the look her mother shot her.

"Okay, we're going to keep the puppy under two circumstances. More chores for everyone," he said. Everyone in the room groaned. Terra went to open her mouth again, but this time she closed it when her father sent her a look.

"What's the second one?" Almira asked. Ryan smiled.

"Everyone has to agree on a name for him," he said. Erin raised her hand.

"Yes sweetie?" Anna asked.

"I say Sir-Ruff-A-Lot!" She said.

"I don't like it!" Jessica said.

"You got a better one?"

"Well no…"

"I say Jeffery!" Tyler said. Carmen shoved him.

"No, Russell."

"How about Melanie?" Almira asked.

"It's a boy," Erin corrected.

"Okay, then Ryan?" Almira tried again.

"That's dad's name, stupid," Terra mumbled.

"Stop being mean!" Almira snapped. Ryan grabbed the bridge of his nose with his free hand as his wife shot him a look.

"It was your idea," she whispered to him.

"I'VE GOT IT!" Jessica said finally. Everyone turned to face her.

"It won't be better than Sir-Ruff-A-Lot," Erin muttered.

"How about Bones? Like Uncle McCoy!" She said. Ryan smiled.

"If you like the name Bones, raise your hand," he said. Everyone, but Erin raised their hand.

"Erin!" Erin scoffed but raised her hand.

"Fine, but his middle name is going to be Sir-Ruff-A-Lot!" she protested. Ryan sighed and shook his head.

"Alright, bed now!" all the kids soon scattered and left the room, leaving Ryan alone with his wife.

"God, this is crazy. Why did we decide to have so many kids?" he asked. Anna chuckled.

"Because you wanted a boy," she pointed out. Ryan chuckled and kissed her deeply.

"True… but mostly because you're so God damn sexy." Anna chuckled. Despite all they had been through with Colleen and the kids, she still had the hots for him.

"Oh really, let me show you how God damn sexy I am," she whispered. He kissed her again and led her to their room.

"I'm loving this idea."

* * *

Jim relaxed in his seat and looked out on the viewing screen. The ship was still docked and most of the crew was on earth enjoying their shore leave. Though he was also enjoying his stay, he felt more at home on his ship than back in the large apartment on earth. The past few days had been filled with relaxation, and excitement from being with his family. He hardly saw his daughter, and his sons were going through a phase where they wanted nothing to do with their parents, so it was nice for the family of five together. Now, however, he enjoyed the peace of night instead of hearing his boys fight over a video game, or Natalie yelling at her brothers for one thing or another. Though, now there was no dog to bark, since Rocky was now in doggie heaven, it still was quite noisy.

A small sigh escaped his lips and he closed his eyes. Getting back together with Claire's brother and their old friends brought him back a few years. Life before kids and marriage. Though he loved his kids to death, a small part of him savored those days, the days of peace. A pair of hands placed themselves on his shoulders, and he looked up into his wife's kind grey eyes.

"Hey, I figured I'd find you here," she said softly. He nodded and lifted his hand to take hers.

"Where the boys?" he asked.

"At home with Scotty. He built them a new game system and they're checking it out," she said. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Such one track minds," he muttered. She nodded and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, letting her head rest near his.

"Just be thankful it's videogames and not girls," she told him. He nodded and rand a hand over his face.

"Ugh, that's coming soon, isn't it?" he asked, his voice sounding tired. Claire nodded and smiled.

"Yeah, our boys are getting big. Let's just hope they don't give us any grandchildren before they are eighteen," she told him. He made a face, causing her to laugh and place a gentle kiss on his neck.

"I don't think I could deal with grandchildren," he confessed. She pulled away and walked so she was standing near his legs.

"You said the same thing about having a girlfriend, but here I am," she reminded. He smiled and took a hold of her hand, pulling her onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her frame and looked up at her. She was definitely not as young as she was when she first arrived on the ship. Her face now had a few lines around her eyes and mouth, but most of her face was still wrinkle free, she still had a few years before worrying about that. Her blonde hair had begun to grey, but like all women, she took care of that before it became noticeable. Curves had developed around her hips, the product of having children, and her bust had definitely upped a size of two. She had changed drastically over the years, yet, she hadn't at all. He thanked whatever forces brought them together in that bar so many years ago. Without her, he was sure he would not be half the man he was today. He loved her deeply for it.

"You okay?" she asked. He nodded and moved up to kiss her deeply. She replied immediately and frowned a bit when he pulled away.

"I can't believe all that's happened. I remember the first time I met you," he said, lifting a hand to brush some of her blonde hair out of her face. She smiled and chuckled.

"I remember that… I also remember a lot of blood and really cheesy pick-up lines," she replied. He laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well… your brother was always out to get me," he muttered. She chuckled and watched as his hand dropped to her own and began to play with her ring.

"Sixteen years, you feel it yet?" she asked him softly. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Sixteen years, twenty, a hundred… it doesn't matter. I'm just glad you stuck with me," he whispered. She chuckled and shook her head.

"Not like you gave me much of a choice," she confessed.

"Liar, I always gave you a choice, you just kept coming back to me," he said. She leaned down and kissed his forehead.

"It's all the great sex." Jim pulled away and let his hand caress her cheek.

"Ryan was right, we have been through a lot," he whispered.

"You regret any of it?" she asked softly. He shook his head.

"None. Well, that's not true," he confessed.

"Oh really? What do you regret?" she asked.

"I regret letting you go that first time, and watching you be in so much pain after Riley," he said. She frowned and kissed him softly, as if to silence any of those thoughts.

"I got you back for it though. With the whole not telling you I was pregnant with Natalie thing. The last thing I wanted was for _Him_ to tell you, and I failed that," she confessed.

"We've both made mistakes, some really stupid mistakes. But that's all in the past now, nothing to worry about. We're here together now, and that's all that matters," he assured her. A smile broke out on her lips and she gave a small content sigh.

"I love you, James Tiberius Kirk," she whispered. He smiled and pulled her closer.

"I love you too, Claire Adrienne Kirk." He leaned up and captured her lips with his, enjoying the feeling of her soft lips against his own. Her body leaned into his and he almost groaned at the motion.

"Thank God the boys are on earth," she whispered into his mouth, lightly shrugging his jacket off of him. He nodded and let his hands travel up the back of her shirt.

"Thank God," he repeated. Jus as he began to unbutton her shirt, a loud beep echoed through the bridge and he groaned in protest.

_"Sorry to disturb you, Admiral Kirk, but I have your sons in the academy brig and we need you to come get them,"_ a voice said.

"Why are they in the brig? They are supposed to be with Montgomery Scott?" Jim hissed.

_"They were trying to sneak into the weapons building and trying to steal some of the phasers. They claim they were practicing for Starfleet."_ Claire sighed and turned toward the speaker.

"Will they be there in the morning?" Claire asked.

_"Uh… yes Ma'am,"_ the man answered. Claire and Jim looked at each other before looking back to the speaker.

"They can last the night, Kirk out," Jim said. Claire laughed and buried her face in his shoulder.

"That was so mean, maybe we should get them or something," Claire said. Jim shook his head and guided her lips to his.

"They can last the night." Claire didn't protest any further. She kissed him deeply before pulling away. Her life had changed so drastically over the years, and it was all because of him. She smiled lightly and let her fingers trace over his cheek. There were very few wrinkles on his face, showing that he was aging quite well, something she was selfishly grateful for. He hadn't changed much the past few years, except for getting a bit wiser and calmer. She leaned down and kissed him once more. Her heart soared as she felt him eagerly replied to the kiss. She would be in love with this man till the day she died.

"Jim," she whispered. He pulled away and smiled up at her.

"Claire," he replied.

"Thank you." He furrowed his eyebrows.

"For what?" he asked. She just smiled and kissed him again. Only breaking away for a brief moment. Her eyes met his and grey clashed with blue. She could see the love in adoration in his eyes, the same love in adoration that had been there for years. She only hoped he saw the same thing in her own eyes. She kissed his forehead before lowering her lips to his and answering his question in a whisper.

"For everything."

_

* * *

_

To the last review replies

_**nickiR0x  
Raxsah: **__Resident Evil is amazing. Jeck and I have Resident Evil marathons. As soon as the fourth one comes out I'm going over her house and we're going to watch all of them back to back. Just like the Harry Potter movies. Wentworth Miller is Yummy no lie. And after playing the fifth game, I could definitely see the Jill/Chris thing. Sadly, that is not in the movie. Nor in our story. Here is the last chapter. Isn't it awesome? I hope the ending isn't as corny as I felt while writing it. Thanks for reading!  
__**Jeck: **__Well, I hope you were braced enough for this. Resident Evil is the shit! Gotta love it! I'm less into Wentworth Miller, but Ali Larter can be my Redfield any day. :D No Chris/Jill in this one, as Raxsah said, but I think you might enjoy our OC and Chris. It's pretty good stuff. There won't be any zombie sex to our knowledge, however… ZOMBIE SEX FACE FOR ALL! It was great to have you as a faithful reader and we'll see you in our new story, Whispers in the Dark._

_**SWfangirl21  
**__**Jeck: **__It's okay, I think cannibalism is cute too. Everyone got at least one boy and one girl in the end, even Ryan. Poor guy. Actually no, poor Anna's vagina. Eight kids later and she needs a break. My grandma had five brothers and sisters. My grand parents were all over the mad amounts of sex. And it kinda was like Ryan and Anna. Four girls and then two boys. My great grandfather REALLY wanted to have some sons. I would never give up my mom because I love her so much, but I wouldn't mind having Alex and Liam as my daddies. :D Ryan and Claire's dad is like my dad. Fun stuff. I could go for some of Raxsah's mom's cheesecake. Yay for food fights. We have now decided that it's not rape if you give it to someone for Christmas. :D MERRY CHRISTMAS! :D It's quite sad to end this, but all good things must come to an end. Or they make you fat. My favorite Resident Evil movie is most definitely the second one. It was the first one I saw and I fell in love! YAY FOR HARRY POTTER! LOVE IT! Mmmm PotC. Good stuff right there. Lord of the Rings wasn't really my thing, I just couldn't get into the whole little universe thing there. But Star Wars on the other hand was the shit! My current favorite little movie How to Train Your Dragon. SO CUTE AND FUNNY! Oh and LOVE YOU TOO!  
__**Raxsah:** Yay for babies! Now they have two more! Hahahahaaa We made up for all the crap we put him through and gave him two little boys. I feel bad for Ryan though, he had to go through seven girls before he finally got a boy. How can we not marry Liam and Alex? They are like… perfect for each other. Now they got little kiddies too! I think you have an obsession with cupcakes like we have an obsession with pudding. OH my college has amazing pudding by the way, just saying. I wish we still had cheese cakes, but it's all gone now. Sadly… I wanna see the new Tron movie, not going to lie. However, I really want Despicable Me for Christmas. I saw that with Jeck and my brother and I loved it! It was so cute! Never seen 21 days later. I did see Paranormal Activity 2, which made me sleep with a light on for a couple nights. Hahahaaa. Hope the ending was what you were looking for. Hopefully we'll be seeing you during the posting for Whispers in the Dark… if we ever get to actually writing it. Le sigh… Anyway, thanks again hun… hope you liked the ending and thanks for all the support._

_**Lintered  
**__**Raxsah: **__Boom! The end. Of course we couldn't have a epilogue without drama. Hopefully it wasn't too much for you. Thanks for hanging in there with us to the end. We appreciate it.  
__**Jeck**__: Boom! Pregnant! But yes, it's the end. It was a good ride, me thinks. You thinks? Me thinks. Anyway, I hope to see you as a reader in the future! :D_

_**Leland Adama  
**__**Jeck: **__You is know proper Engrish? I mean, unless you're taking English as a second language, but still. That is unacceptable. Ugh, sorry. I'm going to be an English teacher some day. And I can stand text language. But that is not. It's worse than Ebonics!  
__**Raxsah: **__Hmmm…. How can I put this without sounding mean. My school is more important than my fan-fiction. Not to mention we already had this written down for a couple of months, but like I said, my finals were much more important than posting this. We got it eventually, didn't we?_

_**ObsessedMicKeY  
**__**Raxsah: **__I give you props for reading this on your phone. This is a long read even on a computer. We're so glad you liked it, hopefully this chapter was satisfactory. :D Thanks a bunch!  
__**Jeck: **__Wow, that's quite a read for your phone. Glad to have you on board the Jeck and Raxsah Inc. fanbase! :D_

_**Jeck: **__Well, that was fun! Just saying.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yes. Fun to write, fun to post, and fun to end. Yay! No more, this is all done. It's almost a relief to have this done with.  
__**Jeck: **__Yeah, kinda. It's just one last thing to worry about. Besides, right now, we're worried about spending more time with each other again. I've been gone like 3 weeks now!  
__**Raxsah: **__Three weeks too long! Not to mention we have a lot of work to do on our other story. Le sigh… but yes. We'd like to thank all of those who have stuck with us to the end, despite the fact I'm sure you have wanted to kill us at a couple points with our cliffhangers.  
__**Jeck: **__Sorry about that, but not really. We regret nothing. MAWHAHAHAHAHA! Anyway, we're tallying up the reviews and will send the winner of the most reviews a PM. As for the other contest, the naming the song and artist of all of our chapter titles, no one has tried. Seriously, even if you guess one at this point, you'll win. If no one enters, then there's no winner.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, just send em in and see what happens, can't lose at this point. Wow… can you believe it's over?  
__**Jeck: **__Not really, it's kind of surreal. But it was our first real fanfiction together so it's special to me! :D It's just the first stepping stone to the road of AWESOMENESS that we shall walk on.  
__**Raxsah: **__Yeah, I don't know why, but I can't picture Jim with any other character now. That's going to suck when the next movie comes out. Don't worry, we'll keep throwing awesome stories out there soon enough. Because we're awesome.  
__**Jeck: **__We breed awesomeness. ;D  
__**Raxsah: **__Word! Until next story peeps!  
__**Jeck: **__Ughhhhhhh means I love you in zombie. Ugh ugh ugh means ZOMBIE SEX FACE!_


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